As We Know It
by 808Lionfire
Summary: If you told her that she would have a cat burglar (literally) break into her house to steal some cookies, she would laugh. If you told her the very next day that she'd meet the one man who would change her life for better or for worse, she'd call you crazy. Nothing would have prepared her for this. And she was perfectly fine with that. (Modern AU)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This story is the what the Gajevy one-shot spin off was based off of. A modern AU. The characters will be OOC but I'll try to stay true to who they are as often as I can. This'll be a short author's note -_gasp_- I know right? Rated T for language, slight violence and implicated/suggested themes.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy and as always, see you in the next one! -808Lionfire**

**Disclaimer: Fairy Tail (c) Hiro Mashima**

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><p><strong>Summary:<strong> If you told her that she would have a cat burglar (literally) break into her house to steal some cookies, she would laugh. If you told her the very next day that she'd meet the one man who would change her life for better or for worse, she'd call you crazy. Nothing would have prepared her for this. And she was perfectly fine with that.

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><p>Chapter 1-<p>

Dragging the last box into her new apartment, Lucy Heartfilia smiled proudly and gave herself a pat on her back. In retrospect, it had taken her forever to actually find a place that she _knew_ she would live perfectly and comfortably, but she was completely sure she had found it. Nestled fittingly in the outskirts of Magnolia, stood a building called 'Fairy Hills'. Although it was nowhere near a hill, the place was quiet and peaceful. The building was surprisingly large but what caught her eye was the street that it was built. Strawberry Street, they called it.

The entire complex had an indoor system, meaning that one would have to enter their apartment through the building, like a hotel, instead of outdoor walkways. The neighborhood wasn't a bad one, much to Lucy's delight, but the precautions were definitely welcomed. She walked over towards the window, both glad and a bit disappointed that there was a gigantic tree blocking her view. She was glad because it blocked some of the sunlight streaming through and that it was a pretty good fire escape if she ever need one. She was sad because if she could get out on it, someone could get in and it was blocking the view of the canal.

In another light, Lucy couldn't help but enjoy the filtered breeze that escaped the tree's leafy clutches. So maybe the tree actually did have more uses than disadvantages.

_Just gotta make it a habit to lock the window then_, she thought with a satisfied smile.

The busty blond stretched her arms over her head, the white shirt lifting in the process, exposing her toned stomach. She let out a purr of satisfaction as her bones clicked into place.

"So how are you liking your new apartment, Lu-chan?" A quiet bluenette asked delightfully, carrying a plastic wrapped plate. By the smell, Lucy was safe to assume that it was home-baked cookies.

The blonde turned around and smiled warmly, dropping her arms back to her sides. In the doorway stood a tiny (for her age, at least) woman with a shy, almost sheepish, grin. Lucy had met the other woman only a few days ago when she first started to move into the complex. Levy McGarden was her name. They had taken to talking about books, work and just random facts of life, quickly becoming close friends. Lucy could say that her new friend was definitely interesting.

She had short blue hair that was held back with a folded bandana, only two thick strands of hair escaping to frame her delicate face. Today, she was wearing a cute, pale-orange dress that fell just about mid-thigh and probably one of the cutes pair of Angel White sandals Lucy had ever seen. She was a bit pale in contrast to Lucy's lightly tanned skin, but the blonde argued otherwise. She was more like a porcelain doll.

"Do you mind if I call you that?" Levy asked when the blonde hadn't said a word.

"I love the apartment, thanks for asking," Lucy giggled, flushing a little in embarrassment. She started towards the bluenette, "And I don't mind if you don't mind me calling you Levy-chan."

Levy gave the blonde an equally wide smile, "Of course not! Everyone usually just calls me Levy anyway."

She ambled over, meeting Lucy half-way and managing to not trip over her own feet. The bluenette offered the plate of wrapped cookies towards her and grinned when Lucy took it gratefully. The blonde lightly lifted it to her nose and breathed deeply, closing her eyes in pleasure of the warm aroma.

"Ah," Lucy sighed happily, opening her eyes to look at the other woman who was currently admiring her room, "These smell delightful. Thank you, Levy-chan."

"No problem," The bluenette shrugged, focusing back on her, "Ever since I told the girls about you moving in, they demanded that we at least bake you a welcoming gift. It's the least we could do." Lucy smiled warmly at that. "They would have been here to greet you today but I guess work got in the way, like always."

Lucy hummed in response, placing the plate of cookies on her coffee table, "What did you say your workplace was like again?"

"Just a bunch of people specializing in different fields," Levy replied, following the blonde when she motioned her in further, "We take the odd jobs that people don't know who to go to, professionally at least. Rewards for those vary." Lucy hummed absentmindedly as she rummaged through one of her cardboard boxes. "It's pretty fun, I'd admit. A lot of the jobs are requests from outside of Magnolia but there are quite a few jobs from here."

"How do you guys keep track of all the jobs?" Lucy asked.

The whole concept was foreign to her and, even though she won't say it out loud, a little weird. The idea was appealing but she didn't know how she felt about it or if she would even fit into something like that. Not that she was seriously considering it or anything. However, it would be nice to fall back on something just in case she couldn't find a steady job. A 'Plan B' is always a good habit to have.

_To each their own_, she guessed.

"We have a board where clients can post requests and stuff," Levy explained, "They actually can contact the head over the phone so they don't have to come in personally if they live far off. We're not the only ones that do this kind of thing so sometimes we get mixed up with other groups. I guess you can just call us Guilds of some sort."

"I heard of a couple of those before. There was one who called themselves Mermaid Heel, " Lucy murmured, pulling out a teapot and some cups. Smiling proudly, she set on preparing tea to go with the cookies, "Are you staying for tea, Levy-chan?"

"Ah, yes please," Levy nodded, settling on the couch that still had its plastic moving covers, "And yeah, we know them. They helped us a few times on jobs, they're pretty cool."

"Rumor has it that they only accept females," Lucy announced, looking over her shoulder, "Is that true?"

"I'm actually not sure. I've never actually seen any males from them."

"Shame."

"Why?" Levy asked, folding her hands in her lap. The kettle whistled loudly, making the bluenette flinch slightly and speak louder so she could be heard, "Is there something you're not telling me, Lu-chan?"

"Maybe," Lucy mused, shooting the other woman a secretive smile before laughing at her baffled expression. The blonde pulled the kettle off of the stove and gently poured the hot water, along with the tea mixture, into the ceramic teapot, "I'm one hundred percent female, I promise."

"Good," Levy groaned, letting out a breath of relief, "This is a female-only apartment complex."

"Really?!" Lucy exclaimed, nearly overfilling one of the teacups before stopping herself and placing the teapot on the side. She looked over at her friend with wide eyes and ignoring her laughter, "I never knew that! I saw a man walk out earlier and I waved because I thought he was a resident!"

"Lu-chan!" Levy laughed, clutching her stomach. Lucy folded her arms in front of her chest indignantly, however, the bluenette continued to laugh anyway. She didn't know what for, what she said wasn't _that_ funny. "This isn't a _dormitory_," Levy sighed, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye, "Men can come and go as they please. Don't look so scandalized."

"I don't look scandalized," Lucy protested, placing a cup of tea in front of the other woman before settling into her own chair. She reached forward and unwrapped the plate, the warm smell of the cookies made her mouth water, "It's just that I would never expect that such a large building would be for women only. That's all."

Levy smiled behind her teacup before sipping the contents, "Mm. Wow, this is delicious!"

"Family recipe," Lucy smiled before drinking her own.

She reached forward and snagged a cookie, marveling at the spongy texture. So it was understandable when she couldn't help placing her drink down to observe the treat. It was new or, in lack of a better word, different. She carefully broke the treat in half, the cookie itself pulling away like a sponge cake. It was delightfully warm and the chocolate chips inside of the dessert itself was still gooey. Curious, she broke off of a piece and cautiously placed it on her tongue.

The cookie, if you could now count it a cookie, melted between the roof of her mouth and her tongue. The flesh of it was moist, definitely not like a cookie. It was also spongey but there was a thin layer around the treat that crunched between her teeth. It wasn't burnt, that much was obvious, and it was baked thoroughly. Lucy let out a delighted moan that was completely deaf to her own ears, much like the blue haired woman who was sipping at her tea, staring amusedly at the blonde in front of her.

"What is this?" Lucy asked her friend, "Because where I come from, these are usually called cookies but it has properties like a cake. But it also have hints of lemon and..." The blonde tasted the cookie again, "And strawberries."

"I honestly don't know," Levy shrugged, an amused smile on her face, "It's kind of a tradition of ours to gather and throw a bunch of ingredients together and hope to our founder, Mavis, that it comes out well. I guess you can say that it absorbed properties of what we like the most."

The blonde shot her a questioning look, "How so?"

"Well," Levy thought, "Cana likes booze, so I'm sure that's what made the cookie moist. Mira likes the sweetness of life, so I guess that's where we got the chocolate chips. Erza loves strawberry cakes so I'm sure that's what the strawberries come from and I do enjoy cookies. Maybe that explains the look itself? I dunno."

"And the Lemon?" Lucy asked with a smile, warmed by the bond the girls worked into the cookie, "I mean, I love lemonade and lemon in general so I quite enjoy that, don't worry."

Levy sighed in relief before shrugging, "We ran out of vanilla extract so we used the lemon extract. It's a good thing it worked out though."

"It is," Lucy laughed, finishing off her cookie, "I don't know if I should be amazed or worried about you guys randomly mixing things into the cookie batter but the product is amazing so I'm not complaining."

The two girls laughed at that, Levy agreeing with her. Soon enough, the pair fell into a comfortable pace, talking about anything and everything. They tend to stray away from their pasts, excluding the books that they read previously, and from anything work related. Their laughter echoed in Lucy's empty apartment every so often. They were so caught up in their current, full-story, explanations of the last book they read before Levy glanced out of the blonde's window, seeing the sun nearly set.

"Oh gosh!" The bluenette gasped, scrambling to her feet and cursing under her breath. "Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap!"

"What? What's wrong?" Lucy asked, her eyes wide in alarm.

"Nothing, nothing!" Levy replied, trying to control her panic, "I just promised my team that we would try to do a mission tomorrow but we would meet today at the hall to find a job... Oh Mavis, they're going to kill me!"

"Just go," Lucy urged, halting Levy's hands as the bluenette tried to clean her mess, "I'll do it, don't worry about this. Just go to your friends."

"B-but-"

"It's fine, Levy-chan," Lucy smiled, gently pushing the girl towards the door, "Besides, I don't want to give your friends a bad impression before actually meeting them."

Levy slumped into a sigh before nodded in agreement. She allowed the blonde to lead her towards the door, no longer struggling against it. Of course the words rang true, even she knew that people could leave bad impressions even without talking to them first. Lucy smiled at the blue-haired girl and gave her a good-bye hug before letting her out.

"I'm probably going to unpack until noon tomorrow then go to the market and see if I can stock my pantry," Lucy informed just in case Levy planned an early visit, "All I have is a loaf of bread and a couple of cans of tuna, fish chunks and processed meat." The bluenette scrunched her face in disgust. "Yeah, not my idea of a good meal either," the blonde laughed before gently shoving the woman out the door, "Now go before your friends start to curse me out."

"Okay, okay," Levy laughed, "I'll see you later then?" At the blonde's nod, she smiled, "Alright. I'll see if I can introduce you to any of the girls after my job tomorrow, if we even choose one."

"That sounds great," Lucy grinned at the aspect, the blue-haired girl nodded, waving as she walked off.

Waiting until Levy rounded the corner, the blonde closed the door and looked around her apartment. Thankfully her bed was her first priority to unpack. Well, in this case, it was her first priority to buy, dress and use. The best decision she had ever made, she believed. The carpet that they installed in each of the rooms were plenty comfy but she wouldn't wouldn't subject herself or anyone else to it. Her bed was heavenly and that's that.

The blonde gravitated over to the table and picked up the plate, placing it on her study table by the window before bringing the leftover dishes into her separate kitchen. Between her and Levy, they had eaten at least a quarter of the cookies and drank a whole pot of tea. They were delicious, but since they had the sponge of a cake, they were filling. It also went very well with the tea that Lucy had made, not that she was tooting her own horn or anything. But they were absolutely _divine_.

She giggled softly to herself before reaching over to turn on the tap. Warm water immediately flowed from the metal faucet, soaking both her hands and the used dishes. Lucy felt a sense of peace flow through her body, a peace that she hadn't felt at all since she left home. She didn't know what caused it though. It could have been the domestic duties that had kept her hand busy, or the familiar tune that she had hummed. For all she knew, it could have been that loud thump that she heard from the other room.

Honestly, it could have been anything.

_Wait_.

Lucy froze, her hands stopping her scrubbing. Narrowing her eyes and straightening her back, she slowly turned off the current flow that distorted the noise in the other room. With nearly silent steps, she pushed away from the sink, drying her hands on her pants so she wouldn't drip water on the floor. Whoever -or _whatever_- was in the next room hadn't noticed her or was just oblivious to their surroundings.

There was a crash as objects rained onto the hardwood floor, a moment of silence following afterward. Soon, a muffled sound slipped from under the wooden door that barricaded her from her intruder. It sounded like a groan or -in Lucy's panicked delusion- it sort of resembled a... '_meow_'. Shaking her head, she grabbed the closest thing she could find and clutched it against her chest like a lifeline. And if this interaction turned bad, it might as well be.

Pursing her lips in a sense of panic, she quickly slammed the door open and held her weapon of choice above her head. Over her yelling, the blond was faintly aware of the walls that shook in result of her graceful entrance or the fact that the window fell loudly also due to her entrance. But what struck her into silence was the fact that there wasn't anyone in there. Well, not _exactly_.

Staring back at her with wide eyes on her study table, absurdly close to the plate of cookies, was a cat. A _blue_ cat.

So it was safe to say that she screamed.

If possible, the cat's eyes widened further at the blonde. The _thing_ -Lucy so blatantly decided to call it- hissed at her before snatching two or three cookies off of the plate before bounding onto her bed. Lucy screeched and finally tossed her weapon (which was a wooden, singing mackerel. Don't ask but she got it as a souvenir from her trip to Hargeon after nearly getting rammed by some dude who had a scarf wrapped over his head. Acting like a ninja, apparently) at the cat. It missed, but thankfully it bounced harmlessly off of the bed and onto the floor.

Lucy felt a vein tick as the cat stared at her, mischievously grinning past it's mouthful of cookies as if mocking her for missing. The blue cat stuck his rump towards her direction, mockingly swinging his tail before crouching. The thing bunched up his muscles, his eyes locked on the window, before shooting forward. The blonde opened her mouth, trying to stop the cat from leaping but was a second too late.

The cat yowled out in pain as it smashed it's face against the glass. The tiny blue body crumpled against the force before slowly sliding down to the floor. Despite the gooey trail the cat left as it slid, Lucy couldn't help but burst out into gut wrenching laughter. Tears leaked out of the corners of her eyes as she dropped to her knees, needing to clutch at her stomach because it felt like it was going to burst. The cat let out a groan of both pain and disapproval, but Lucy paid it no heed. She couldn't help it, just looking at the cat's dessert caked face sent her into another round of laughter.

The blonde hadn't paid attention to it then, but she felt weight lift from her heart and her shoulders as she exerted whatever stress she had left into that laugh. She unsteadily rose to her feet and disappeared into the kitchen, returning with what looked like a damp towel. The laughter still pricked at her eyes but she slowly approached the cat, her hands in the air to show that she wasn't there to harm him. The cat hissed a little but let her get closer.

"Aw, you poor thing," She giggled, the cat's blue muzzle was stained with streaks of chocolate while chunks of cake dotted his fur.

Now that she was closer, she could see that this cat had a collar and blue, tiger-like stripes that littered it's pelt and the top of his head. It was extremely faint though, only the light of the setting sun seemed to bring out the true color. The blonde crouched in front of the cat who seemed taken to being sprawled against her fluffy rug, unwilling to move. She reached forward slowly, a pleasant smile at the cat's sudden cuteness. When she was satisfied the cat wouldn't harm her, she roughly gripped the cat's scruff and brought it close to her face.

"I don't know if you can understand me, cat," Lucy said in a sickly sweet tone, her chilling smile sent shivers down the blue feline's spine, "But breaking into someone's apartment, not only stealing food but also _trashing_ it, is unforgivable. Don't you dare do it again, you understand me?" The cat's eyes seemed to widen in fear and she swore she saw recognition pass through them. Shaking her head, she disregarded that though. Hopefully she wasn't going insane, "Do. You. Understand. Me?"

The blonde blinked in surprise when the cat nodded, her eyes widening at the sudden action. She was taken aback. No cat she ever interacted with showed any sign of recognition of understanding anything that she was saying or had said. Much less nod at a question. And if she was completely honest with herself, she was scared.

"O-okay then," she stuttered, shaking her head. "Let's get you cleaned up then."

She carefully placed the cat on the floor before getting a gentler grip around him and lifting it into his arms, giggling when it tensed. Unwilling to place the cat next to the plate of cookies (in fear that he would make an even bigger mess), she brought it over to her bed and flopped onto it. Normally she wouldn't want the cat's fur all over her sheets, but now, she didn't really mind it. She stretched out her legs out into a 'v' shape and gently plopped the cat down in front of her.

"Okay," Lucy smiled, stroking the cat's spine to get it to relax.

After a few minutes, the blue feline slowly dissolved under the blonde's touch and purred loudly. It's eyes were closed, seeming to enjoy the attention he was receiving. He rubbed his cheek against her hand, the whiskers tickling her wrist. Lucy's heart thudded against her chest as she tried to stop her laughter from spilling over. With a shake of her head, she gave the cat a stern glare before moving her hand to gently scratch the blue feline under his chin. As she predicted, the cat purred even louder.

"You're making crumbs on my bed," Lucy grumbled, playing with the cat's collar. When the cool metal of the tag brushed against her fingers, she caught it in a light grip and tilted her head to read it better. "_Happy_, huh?" Lucy questioned with a raised eyebrow. True to his name, the cat purred louder in response and curled his tail jovially. Of course, she thought the name was weird but strangely fitting, "Yeah, I can see it."

"Okay buddy," The blonde giggled, lifting the cat's face so she could see easier. She sighed fondly at the cat, bringing the damp towel closer, "I'm going to clean your face, but honestly, that's what you get. Didn't someone ever teach you that trespassing is rude?"

Lucy gently scrubbed the cat's muzzle first, ignoring the cat's protest. Despite the yowls, Happy hadn't moved and decided to let the woman clean him.

"My name is Lucy, by the way," She announced, moving onto the other side of his face, "I don't see an address on your collar. Do you belong to anyone?" The cat set a defiant stare when she paused. "Okay, okay," Lucy rolled her eyes, "So I'll take that as a no. You don't have an owner but you have a collar, so what? You have a human companion that feeds you and loves you?"

At Happy's nod, she laughed at the absurdity of it. The blue feline batted at the blonde's hands, causing her to smile.

"I'm not laughing at you," She giggled. The cat stared at her, unbelieving. "Okay, so maybe I am. No, don't look at me like I'm losing my mind. I'm pretty sure I lost my mind ever since I grabbed the singing mackerel as a weapon." Happy continued to stare at her if she was the weirdest thing in the world.

"And now I am just noticing that I am talking to a cat," Lucy sighed, finally wiping the last of the cookie stains off of the blue feline. Dropping her hands in exasperation, she gently pushed Happy off of her lap. She stood up and walked over to her window, feeling the cool breeze flow in after she opened it. "Okay, Happy. Time to go, I'll give you a few cookies and then-"

Turning around, Lucy sighed, seeing the feline already curled up in a tight ball in the middle of her bed. The blonde covered the plate of cookies before walking back to her bed and gently pet the cat again. Happy purred and sprawled on his back, exposing his white furred belly. Smiling softly, the woman turned towards her bathroom to change into her night clothes. If the cat wasn't going to leave by the time she got back, she would just have to suck it up and deal with it. As far as she knew, the cat had no home to return to since there was nothing listed on his collar.

She sighed happily, feeling her cotton pajamas slide across her skin. These were her favorite pair; pink with stars. She couldn't help but love it, the combination was just perfect. The bright yellow of the stars complimented the pale version of the pink that dyed the fabric. Besides, they reminded her of her mother. Layla gave Lucy her love for the color, that's all they dressed in when she was small. Her mother also loved the stars and had even roped her father a couple of times on their daily star-gazing.

Such a nostalgic love it brought.

Shaking her head, Lucy quietly padded out of the bathroom. And of course, Happy hadn't moved an inch since she left. She obviously knew how soft her bed was and didn't fault the blue feline for taking a liking to it. So instead of scolding the cat for not leaving, she just pushed him to the side and crawled under the covers. Happy stirred drowsily and crawled onto the pillow beside her, curling comfortably into the crook of her neck.

"Only for tonight, Happy," Lucy muttered, following the blue feline's lead and curled into a comfortable position. Closing her eyes, she let out a tired sigh, "Then tomorrow, we're searching for your friend. Let's hope I have the luck my mother always prided me for."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Ah, hi there. I don't usually update stories on unassigned update days (*face-palms* that's kinda obvious, sorry) I decided to update this. I supposed to update it yesterday (it's like 2 somethin' AM here) but I guess I'll put it up for all you Night-birds like me. And for those who read my one-shot: 'Just A Saying' (shameless plug, I know), this chapter part along with the explanation in the A/N was a direct outcome of the one-shot's plot.**

**Oh well, to try and keep this A/N short, you are all awesome. I hope you enjoy this chapter and I'll see you in the next one! -808Lionfire**

**Disclaimer: Fairy Tail (c) Hiro Mashima**

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><p>Chapter 2 -<p>

The first thing Lucy noticed when she opened her eyes was blue fur. She didn't bother screaming or even trying to push it away, memories from last night pushing to the front of her mind. The soft sigh that she breathed rustled the blue feline's soft fur, making the tiny body twitch but continue sleeping. Rubbing her eyes, she sat up and daring to glance outside of the window. Despite the strange sense of security that Happy provided, she still hadn't gotten much sleep. Unsurprisingly, she noticed that she woke up maybe an hour or so before the sun rose. She has been doing that lately, waking up early without knowing why.

"Ugh," the blonde groaned, holding her hand to her forehead, "I don't think I can handle going out today."

She slid her feet out of her comforters and wiggled her toes into the threads of her carpet. Stretching her arms over her head, she felt her bones click into place, sending pleasant shivers down her spine. Lucy hummed in satisfaction, standing up and running a hand through her messy hair. She went into the bathroom and ran a hot bath, grabbing her box of bath salts. The blonde sat on the edge of the tub, pouring some of the salt in her hand and threading it with the running water. The vanilla's aroma quickly filled the bathroom, leaving Lucy with a sense of nostalgia.

The blonde stood, rubbing the water on her shorts before quickly brushing her teeth and stripping herself of her clothes. She gently pat her face in the mirror and pulled at the ribbons that kept her hair together. The uncomfortable tug on her scalp was immediately relieved as her golden strands fell around her shoulders, some baby hairs creating a slight halo on the crown of her head. Frowning, she ran her hands over them to straighten them out before heading back towards the tub and turning off the tap. Lucy dipped her foot first, hissing a bit at the sudden rise in temperature before sucking it up and sliding in.

The steam lifting from the tub cleared her chest as she sunk deeper into the water. Morning soaks always calmed every rampant thought that ran through her mind after another sleepless night. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply through her nose, rubbing the tension out of her shoulders. After a few minutes, she started to scrub her body, riding herself of yesterday's grime and washing her hair with her favorite strawberry scented shampoo. She hooked her toe around the drain plug and pulled it, simultaneously turning on the shower head to rinse her hair.

Once her tub drained and her hair rid itself of any chemicals- (Ahem) natural ingredients, she stepped onto her shower mat so she wouldn't drip. She then reached for her towels, wrapping the larger one around her body and using the smaller cloth to wrap around her hair.

"What do you want, Happy?" Lucy called, hearing the feline scratching the bathroom door and whining pitifully. "The window is open if you want to leave."

The feline cried louder in response.

"Happy! Be quiet," Lucy hissed, stomping towards the bathroom door and yanking it open, "We're not allowed to have pets here. If they hear you, they're going to kick me out without letting me explain." Happy seemed to ignore her as he padded forward and wrapped himself around her legs, purring loudly. "And even if they do, they're not going to believe me when I say that a random stray wandered into my apartment to steal my cookies. I wouldn't believe me! And get out of the way!"

The blue feline almost tripped her twice on her walk from her bathroom to her dresser. He seemed somehow attached to her and Lucy didn't have a clue why. She just sighed, shaking her head and carefully tried to step around him.

"Honestly, cat," Lucy muttered, digging through her drawers for a comfortable outfit. She pulled out a pale brown, a shade darker than tan, tank-top and dark green shorts. "How's this Happy?" she asked, holding the outfit in front of her while looking at the blue feline that had jumped onto her wooden dresser.

The cat let out a moan of disagreement, causing the blonde girl to roll her eyes.

"Then what would you suggest?" She asked, putting the outfit back.

Happy stared at her with his wide eyes before hopping into the open drawer. The cat kicked out similar shorts, but it was actually the color of the tank-top she pulled out earlier.

"What?" Lucy asked, bending down to pick up the cloth that fell on the floor, "Are you just going to switch the colors just to piss me off?"

He stopped to stare up at her with a mischievous smirk before diving back into her clothes. Lucy glared at the blue furball, not liking that look on his face. On another hand, she suppose she should have felt surprised that a _cat_ was actually picking out clothes for her, but stranger things have happened. Maybe not to her, but they have... or not.

"This one? Seriously?" The blond asked, holding her towel tighter around her as she lifted the shirt that Happy had dropped.

It was one of her more modest sleeping shirts; a plain, pale pink short-sleeve with a slightly deep v-neck. On the bottom next to the hem, was three stars overlapping each other. Each varied in size and color. The center star was yellow and the largest of them all. Positioned directly under that star was a medium, pastel green star. The star that was positioned above the center star was a smaller, pastel blue that complemented the other stars in both size and positioning.

If she was completely honest, she loved this shirt. It was form fitting, not too revealing and comfortable enough to want to be seen outside with it. Despite the fact that it seemed a little childish. Happy settled back on the top of the wooden dresser, watching the blonde's mixed feelings race across her face. Eventually, Lucy looked up and smiled warmly at the cat.

"Not to shabby, kitten," She praised, gently scraping her nails against the cat's head, causing him to purr loudly again. "Hold on while I get changed."

Before escaping to the bathroom, she rummaged through her top drawer for a modest pair of underwear and a tan vest. When she returned, she trudged to her full-body mirror and admired her reflection.

"Not too shabby, indeed," Lucy muttered, gently tugging at her shirt to pull it down. It exposed a strip of her stomach but that was actually decent compared to a lot of other things in her closet. If it bothered anyone, she could just clip the buttons on her vest. "This shirt actually used to be longer," she announced, turning to look at Happy over her shoulder before turning back to the mirror, "Maybe about a couple of inches but I obviously out grew those."

She ran a hand through her hair, gathering half of her golden strands and tying it off to the side. She straightened the loose strands before finally dropping her hands to her hips. She gave her reflection a convincing smile before twisting on her heel, smiling gratefully at the blue cat. She headed over towards the kitchen and motioned for him to follow, satisfied when she heard the gentle thump of the feline's paws as he jumped off of the dresser.

"I'm sorry I don't have much too eat," Lucy apologized, opening her pantry and grabbing a can of tuna chunks, "But hopefully you're cliché enough to like some fish."

She pulled open one of the cabinets and grabbed two bowls. One for her breakfast and one for Happy's. She then rummaged through a box and pulled out a can opener. An amused smile spread across the blonde's lips as she saw the blue feline eyeing the can of fish, a pool of drool forming around his paws. Not wanting to keep him waiting, she skillfully opened the can of fish chunks and dumped it into the bowl.

Happy pounced the moment Lucy pulled away, leaving her in a fit of giggles at his eagerness. She hadn't even scolded him for being on the table, like a lot of girls he knew would have. She just accepted it and started on her own breakfast which was just a bowl of cereal. Extremely sugary cereal. Happy paused his eating and eyed the milk carton that she had pulled out, knowing the blonde woman would notice him staring sooner or later.

When she did, she laughed.

"Okay, Happy," Lucy rolled her eyes, placing down her breakfast to pull another bowl out of her cabinet. She placed it next to his bowl of half-eaten fish chunks and filled it up with the rest of whatever milk she had left. "You're such a glutton, I swear."

Happy ignored her comment and greedily lapped up the white drink. Lucy snorted in a completely unladylike fashion, repeating what he ignored but quieter and under her breath. The blue cat stopped, staring up at the blonde like he wanted something. She looked back at him and frowned. Usually when he wanted something, Lucy could tell because he was staring at it. Now, he was just staring at her and it made her a bit uncomfortable.

"What? What do you want now?" She asked, breaking the silence.

Happy continued to stare at her before padding towards the edge closest to her. She leaned further back into the sink, eyeing the cat warily. He stared at her for a few seconds longer, making the girl stand straighter and shift uneasily. Happy's face scrunched up for a split second before he let loose one of the biggest sneezes Lucy had ever seen. And it was aimed directly at her. Yep. _At_ her.

"Ew! You stupid cat!" Lucy shrieked, nearly dropping her bowl in shock. "You did that on purpose! Didn't you!?"

Happy padded back to his breakfast, a tingle of satisfaction on the tips of his fur. Lucy could have sworn she saw a stupid smirk on the cat's face before he dropped his head to eat some more. She grabbed one of her kitchen towels and wiped her arms (and her face for good measure), placing her near empty bowl into the sink, not daring to finish the cat snot infused cereal.

"You're disgusting," Lucy grumbled, yanking the empty bowls away from the cat after hearing him groan in content. If he could laugh, she was positive he would. "That's it," Lucy frowned, walking over towards the cat and lifting him into her arms, "We're going shopping and then we're going to find your owner-" The blue cat yowled in protest. "-_Friend_. Then we're going to find your _friend_."

She walked out of the kitchen and placed the cat on the open windowsill, reaching towards the desk and shoving her wallet in her back pocket. Happy turned around and looked at her curiously. Lucy sat on her bed and shoved her feet into her loose socks, then slipped on her knee-high cowboy boots. She stood up and walked over to the window again, finally acknowledging Happy's silent question.

"There may not be anyone in here, since it's already past lunch, but I'm not taking my chances," Lucy pointed out of the window to the branches that were thick enough to walk on, "You came in this way, you're going out this way."

Happy's eyes locked onto something on her desk and then shot forward. He quickly snatched it in his mouth, the metallic tang unpleasant on his rough tongue, before jumping out onto the tree. Lucy tried to catch him, afraid that he'd try to ruin any more of her cookies but was surprised to find them untouched. Frowning, she turned back to the window and ducked her head out to peer closer.

The familiar golden light that bounced off of the key ring in the feline's mouth sent a chill down the blonde's spine.

"Why you-" Lucy cursed, "Cat! Give me back my keys! I can't leave the house without locking the door!"

Happy waved his tail mockingly as if telling her to chase him out, she assumed he was just trying to rile her up. It was working. It was definitely working. When she noticed him eyeing the window she was hanging out of then turn to her with a knowing gaze, her jaw dropped. She immediately shook her head in refusal.

"No way," Lucy vehemently refused, "If you think that I'm going to climb after you, cat, you're sorely mistaken."

Happy stared at her for a second longer before he seemingly shrugged, easily bounding down the branches. Lucy cursed again. It wasn't against the rules to leave the apartment unlocked when leaving, but it was against every moral cell in her body to do so. So many things could happen when she was gone. The apartment could be broken into and caught on fire by some crazy burglar that is familiar with arson or have committed arson before. Or worse. There could just be a random group of people who have a weird fetish of going through people's belongings and never have any care for personal space or... _cleanliness_.

Lucy shivered at the thought, peering down to see Happy still staring up at her. His wide eyes seemed to be anticipating something.

"Okay! Fine!" Lucy cried, lifting her leg onto her windowsill. She was immensely relieved that no one was at the apartments during lunch, or she would be extremely embarrassed. "Damn you, Happy! For making me do this!"

As a kid, she always loved climbing trees but she always hated the stomach turning mess that height would reduce her to. She let out a quiet squeal as she felt the branch lightly dip under her weight. Once she finally got a guaranteed foothold, she breathed a sigh of relief. Lucy easily balanced on the skinny branch (_Thank you Dad and those seven years of gymnastics_), her confidence boosted quite significantly aiding her as she climbed down effortlessly.

Once her foot hit the cobbled sidewalk, Happy took off, keys still in his mouth. She cursed under her breath, taking off after the cat. She'd have to admit, the cat was extremely fast and she had a slight suspicion that he was slowing down just for her to keep up.

"You better not be leading me anywhere shady, cat!" Lucy yelled out, already accepting the fact that she wasn't getting her keys back any time soon.

The small, blue figure paid her no heed as he swiftly dodged the busy bodies that were slowly littering the streets. Lucy dutifully apologized to the people she rammed into, often stopping to fully apologize when she knocked over a poor soul or almost toppled over a kid. Despite all of that though, she was still keeping an eye on a pesky blue cat that kept her keys locked firmly in his jaws. She lost sight of him once or twice but it wasn't until they reached the marketplace -which harbored half of Magnolia's population apparently- when she lost him completely.

The blonde let out a noise of distress, her eyes quickly darting the ground for even the slightest hint of blue fur. The Residents of Magnolia hadn't sensed her stress, they just continued to pass by without a look nor a glance in her direction. And she was perfectly fine with that. Attention attracts weirdos... or so they say.

"Um, excuse me?" Lucy muttered as she walked stall. The sign read '_Primrose Promises_' and if that wasn't a flower stall indicator, she didn't know what was.

"Yes, dear?" A kind, elderly woman asked with a smile, her eyes crinkled at the corners, "What can I do for you?"

"I'm looking for a cat," The blonde informed, her eyes glancing around her, "And I was wondering if you saw it pass by recently?"

"Was this cat by any chance, blue?" The elderly woman asked.

Lucy's eyes widened and she nodded eagerly, "You've seen him?"

"No," She denied immediately. Lucy sweat-dropped. "You're actually the second person that had asked me that today. The other poor fella looked just as distressed as you dear."

"Aw, well, thanks anyway," The blonde sighed pitifully.

"Don't worry about it," The elderly woman smiled, Lucy giving a half smile in return, "I hope you and your boyfriend find your cat soon."

Lucy nodded with a heavy heart before stepping away from the stall. Only when what the woman said finally clicked into her mind, her eyes widened. She turned around to protest immediately but the elderly woman's attention was already swept away by another costumer. The desperate urge to correct her was swept away when she heard a faint jingle, closely resembling a chain of keys, to her left. Whipping her head around, she caught the tuft of blue that currently held her house-keys captive.

Without thinking about the consequences, she dived after him only to catch herself when she tumbled forward. Lucy glared at the slippery culprit and once again, found herself chasing the cat around the marketplace. After about the third or fourth round past the fish stall (where she actually had to pay for some since Happy decided it was okay to dump a few on the floor) she finally figured out what the damn cat wanted. Pulling out her wallet again, she slammed around a thousand jewels on the stand, out of breath.

"I'll take the three-pound Bass, two dozen Sardines, three of those fresh-water Salmon and that five-pound Tuna," She listed, irritated, "No, I do not want them to be prepared. No, I do not want them wrapped in a certain kind of paper. I just want them packed and in a bag so I can get my damn keys from that stupid cat!"

The merchant reared back in both surprise and fear before doing what he was told. Lucy couldn't help but notice that he was extremely efficient this time, quickly preparing her order and handing them over to her. She placed them in the basket (she had bought it sometime during the second round the marketplace), trying to calm herself down. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Happy inch his way towards her basket. He was eyeing it like a hunter would hunt it's prey. She could practically see the drool dripping from her keys.

"Will this be enough?" Lucy asked calmly, gesturing to the wad of jewels that she slammed on the countertop. The merchant nodded quickly, not daring to even try to hassle the blonde for any more. She was scary enough. "Good. Keep the change."

Turning away, she ignored the cat that now seemed to follow her around. Glad for the change in pace, Lucy let out a long awaited breath and strolled to a butcher's shop. Looking at the wide selection of meats, the blonde settled on a few pounds of the beef's premium cut, ground pork, t-bone steaks and sirloin. By now, her basket was starting to weigh her down but she couldn't complain. She needed these if she wanted to eat good however long she lived here.

* * *

><p>By the time she had gotten everything she needed from the market, the sun was already dipping low in the horizon. She had gotten a lot of good deals on her buy, thanks to the bargaining skills she picked up in her travels. Honestly, she may have spent her rent money (and then some) but the haul she got in the end was worth it. Happy had somehow curled around her neck, hanging down like one of the noblewomen's fur scarves. Despite the terror that he had caused, Lucy was grateful for the warmth that he provided. Especially in the chilling weather that the end of summer had brought.<p>

Happy had returned her keys the second stop after the fisherman's stall and she had hooked it on one of her belt hoops. So thankfully, she could easily get into her apartment now.

"You'll be the death of me, Happy," Lucy murmured to the cat who just purred happily in reply.

The last bit of sunlight was replaced with the street lamps and the silent winking of the stars. A deep chill ran down her spine but she blamed it on the huge gust that swept past. Her arms were straining to keep the basket lifted, the thing already exceeding maybe thirty pounds, probably more. Thankfully, they were nearly to her apartment. The canal that intercepted their casual walk was an indicator, as well as the giant tree that she could briefly see over the rooftops.

Dropping her load, she leaned against a building and let out a tired breath. Happy's head lifted enough to look at her curiously. The blonde offered him a comforting smile, trying to ease his concern.

"I'm fine," she breathed, shaking her hands at her side to resume blood flow, "Just gotta stop for a second."

Happy's ears perked up in alarm before he quickly bounded off of the blonde. He twisted his head around, ignoring Lucy's questioning look and bounded away like a bullet. She frowned after the fleeing form and pushed off the wall, calling out to him. Paranoid that he had stolen her keys once again, she immediately felt her hip for her keys then sighed in relief when she heard the familiar jingle. However, that relief was short lived.

"Look at what we have 'ere," a deep voice slurred.

Lucy twisted on her heel, peering at the source. A tall, brutish man walked out of the building's shadow, a sleazy grin spreading across his face. His dark hair was disheveled, and not in the way that would reduce girls to mush. His teeth were either missing or yellow and the stench of alcohol on his breath hadn't helped. His blurred eyes peered down at hers, a sudden surge of dread running through her.

_That stupid cat_! Lucy thought pitifully, _That's why he ran! The nerve of that cat! Well, if it's just him, I can take care of it_.

As usual, luck was against her as at least two or three more men ambled out of the shadows. They were all matched in both size and drunken haze. The blonde felt herself whimper involuntarily. However, that seemed to urge the man further.

"You'd make a pretty dollar, Princess," the man chuckled, stumbling closer, "Whatcha say your name was?"

"I didn't," Lucy spat venomously, her pride not letting her do anything otherwise. The men behind chuckled.

"Feisty, eh?" A dirty blond slurred, hitting the dark haired man on his shoulder.

They both lurched forward and she had half a mind to dodge unless she wanted to get squished. In both of the drunken men's tussle to get up, Lucy took the opportunity to grab her basket. She nearly made it but the remaining two guys caught her arms, causing her to drop her basket. Thankfully, nothing fell out but she couldn't help but curse out in rage.

"An' she got da mouth ofa sailor," The one on her left chortled, the gut wrenching laughter.

The man on her right squeezed her arm tighter, causing her to wince out of pain. She bit her lip, not wanting to let them hear her cries. That would give them too much satisfaction. Instead, she leveled a glare at them even if they weren't paying any mind to it.

"Bora would love 'er," The dark haired man slurred after her stood up, slightly kicking the dirty blonde man back onto the floor. "Go an' tell 'im before we set offta Bosco," He rumbled down before stumbling forward and roughly taking Lucy's chin between his fingers, "Watta shame. I woulda loved ta take 'er as mine."

Lucy hadn't known what had spurred her to do what she did next. Maybe it was the sleazy grin on his disgusting face, or the greasy fingers that held her face captive. It could have been the man to her left, spitting through his laughter or even the bruises that she was sure to see in the morning because of the man to her right. Whatever it was, once she got enough saliva collected in her mouth, she shot it right smack-dab into the dark haired man's eye.

_Success_! The blonde cried in her mind, successfully getting the man to release his hold on her face and rear back in surprise.

The man stumbled back, almost falling onto his butt, while wiping her spit off of his face. Then his face turned bright red. An angry red. The man to her right loosened his grip significantly and the man to her left finally stopped laughing. Lord knows what actually happened to the dirty blonde haired man. He could have still been on the floor for all she knew.

"Why you bitc-"

The last thing she would have expected, probably happened right then. Get this, a fist (yes, a _fist_) flew out of nowhere and clocked the man in the cheek, cutting off anything he was about to say. The force of the punch was so... so firm, that she swore she heard a crack or a crunch from the man's jaw as he crashed into the building next to her. And the impact of the man caused a huge crater to form in the bricked wall.

The man on her left cried out in pain and released her arm two seconds before the man on her right did the same. Heart thudding in relief, she turned towards her saviors. However, she wasn't able to get any word of thanks out because something blue crashed into her face, causing her to fall back, hit her head and knock out. Before she completely blacked out though, she saw a familiar white mix in with the blue and she couldn't help but sigh.

_You're going to be the death of me, Happy_.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I'm not sure about this one... the ending is kind of abrupt. Slight language, once or twice. So if you're faint of heart for that kind of stuff, I'd skip over the word. Oh, and before I forget: I want to thank everyone for the support on this story! It means the world to me knowing that there are people out there who can enjoy my works :D  
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**Not much else I can say on this chapter except that I hope you enjoy and I'll see you in the next one! -808Lionfire**

**Disclaimer: Fairy Tail (c) Hiro Mashima**

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><p>Chapter 3 -<p>

Lucy woke up to a rough tongue. And although that sounds gross, what was actually gross was waking up on a grime covered sidewalk, having something that felt like sandpaper rubbing against her cheek, sounds of flesh hitting flesh and having her head hurt like tomorrow wouldn't shine. So yeah, waking up to a blue furball licking her cheek was just a walk in the park.

"Ugh," Lucy groaned, shifting from her spot against the wall.

She was faintly aware of something sliding down her shoulders but that thought was quickly brushed away when the metallic tang of blood reached her nose. The smell was so potent she could practically taste it and her stomach churned in disgust. She did everything in her power to stop the sudden urge to... _y'know_. Lucy reached back and gently skimmed her hand against the sore spot in the back of her head, hissing in pain.

A low meow brought her attention to the blue cat that crouched on a crate next to her, her eyes taking time to focus on the figure. Once she frowned, the cat happily licked her cheek again, making her squeal out in surprise.

"Happy!" The blonde exclaimed, scrambling to her feet. She gave the cat an accusing glare as she struggled to stay upright, "You left me for dead!"

Once the nausea hit her, she immediately regretted standing up so quickly. The blue cat shook his head at her as if he was denying what she said, glancing over his shoulder at a probably more terrifying sight. Although they where silhouetted she could see that leader of her attackers was backed up against one of the alley's walls, only being held up by the collar of his jacket. It might have just been her blurry eyes, but she could see an indent in the wall the man was backed up against. Like he was shoved so hard, the wall broke.

Crazy right?

In front of him was a man, a year or two older than her, lifting the attacker at least a foot off of the ground. If it wasn't for the slight tremble of his arms, she would have believed that he had no problems holding him up. Lucy's feet moved on their own, slowly getting closer to the scene. The other two other guys were sprawled out on the floor, seemingly knocked out or _worse_. She actually feared for their lives now that she was close enough to see the fear on the leader's face. Besides that, the man who was fighting them was basically _half_ their size. She couldn't stress that enough. _Half_.

They were drunk (she'll give them that one) and she even caught herself admiring her savior's form once or twice, but it still seemed a bit pathetic.

"Okay. That's quite far enough, don't you think?" Lucy asked cautiously, approaching the pair up against the wall. "Just put him down, please. No one else needs to get hurt."

"You were attacked by this guy," her savior grounded out, his voice deadly.

The blonde snorted, "And you killed two others. So what?"

"I didn't."

"And how do you know that?"

"I made sure."

"And how do you know that?"

"Because I'm planning to get back to them after I finish with this goon here."

Lucy shivered at his low tone, the sound almost coming out in a growl. Okay. So he was a little scary... but that didn't stop her from trying to stop him. She wasn't exactly afraid of him per se, even though she knew she should have been. She figured that if he wanted to hurt her, then he would have already and she was pretty sure she knocked out on the street because of the street. When she woke up, however, she was deeper in the alley and leaned up against the wall. She can only credit him for it.

"I don't think that would be a good idea," The blonde muttered, glancing back at the unmoving bodies on the floor, "You'd get arrested for man slaughter."

"And I'll make you my accomplice," The man snorted.

Lucy's eyes widened. And just like that, she forgot about the man who was pressed up against the wall. She felt a vein tick on her forehead as she glared at the side of her savior's face. Thinking back on it, Lucy didn't know whether to call herself dumb or stupid. She was basically trying to tick off the man who took down what looked like three heavy weight champions.

"Why would even you do that?!"

"Why are you trying to protect them?" He shot back, "You should be angrier than I am!"

"I'm not trying to protect them!"

"Then why are you trying to distract me?"

"I'm not!"

"You are!"

"I'm-" She cut herself off, slumping her shoulders in defeat, "...is it working?"

The man sighed, slamming the man against the dented wall before letting the unconscious body crumple to the ground, "Not really."

Lucy's eyes followed the man that fell, her mind unable to grasp that he was easily knocked out by something so simple. Why- no- _how_ was she ever caught by these guys? Of course, she never knew the extent to her savior's punches but...

"Holy crap! You're bleeding!" Lucy exclaimed in a slight panic, once again forgetting about the men who now lay on the ground.

Reaching out towards his left arm, she lightly brushed her fingers under the cut only to find herself apologizing when he winced away. The worst cut she had seen on him would have to be the one that stretched across his left shoulder blade. She supposed it was a continuation from the slice on his arm, as if he tried to turn away but whoever it was still got him. Sticky blood matted the already red shirt that he was wearing, creating a foul stench in the air around them.

The man cleared his throat, trying to draw the blonde's attention away from his injuries. When she continued to fret over the cuts, he twisted around so he could stop her but found himself almost toppling over. Luckily, the blonde managed to catch him before he hit the ground. Nausea from the lack of blood made his head spin and his legs give out almost immediately, to which was a blessing in disguise.

"Aren't you supposed to be scared of me?" He coughed, feeling the blonde wrap his arm around her shoulders so she could support his weight. The cool fabric of his scarf moved under his hand, reminding him to ask her to returning it later.

"Am I supposed to be?" The blonde asked back, wrapping an arm around his waist.

"I don't know," He muttered, "I mean I did just beat the shit out of three guys."

"Language," She snapped out irritably, forgetting her sailor tongue from earlier. "And correction, you beat up three _drunk_ guys," She stressed. He felt her head turn to their right before she whistled softly, "C'mon Happy. Let's get out of here before these guys wake up."

Happy pounced off of the crate and padded next to them. The blonde quickly led them out of the alley and turned the corner before stopping for a quick second. The man felt her lean down and, with a slight grunt of effort, pick something up before continuing to walk. The blue cat stared up at him with concern before bounding to the blonde's side and sniff the woven basket. Every so often, he felt the blonde shift her hold on him before continuing on.

"I'm Natsu, by the way," He announced, feeling the need to break the silence, "Natsu Dragneel."

"Lucy," the blonde grunted back before she sternly glared at the blue cat that had a paw on the basket, "Happy, the basket is heavy enough without you in it. Don't you dare."

"So I see you have met my cat," Natsu muttered, watching the blue feline slink away guiltily. He chuckled before staring at the basket, "Why don't you pass the basket over, I can carry it."

"Says the man who can't walk without support," Lucy scoffed before her act cracked and a small laugh escaped her lips, "Don't worry about it, another few limps and we're at my apartment."

"But you're struggling," Natsu trailed, limping forward.

"I'm plenty strong," the blonde argued before lightly swinging the basket forward, "Besides, we're practically here already." Nastu turned his head, squinting his eyes to peer forward. "You see that tall building over there, the one with the tree out front? That's my place. We'll get you fixed up there."

"You're just going to let a stranger into your apartment?" Natsu asked skeptically.

"Well, you just beat up three guys that were, conveniently, my attackers," Lucy shrugged, shifting her hold to get a tighter grip on him, "So yeah, why not?"

He felt a little bad. She was struggling with his weight, he could feel it, but there was nothing he could do about it. Natsu was pretty sure he might have lightly sprained his ankle and the lack of blood made him a bit woozy. Now he was practically letting this woman carry him. That definitely didn't sit well with his pride.

"And we're here," The blonde announced, dropping the basket by the front door and reaching for the keys that were attached to her belt hoop. "Happy, stay out here and watch the groceries please," Lucy asked the cat who dutifully sat by the basket, his head peaking over the side, "And don't eat the fish. You made me buy them so you can't eat until I let you."

Natsu watched in amazement as the blue feline snorted through his nose and looked away snobbishly. He was fully aware that the cat continued a personality like a human child, but Happy only ever acted like that in front of him and a handful of friends. Never-mind a complete stranger. He had to be honest though, it could be due to the fact that this Luigi chick, or whatever her name was, talked to the feline as if he was an actual person.

"Got it!" Lucy muttered happily when she finally fitted the right key, opening the front door. She was completely unaware to Natsu's amazement. Only focusing on getting him into her apartment so she could race down and snatch the basket before Happy could steal anything. "Sorry for the haul but my apartment is on the second floor."

"I should be telling you that," Natsu sighed, dismissing her apology.

Somehow, they managed to get him up the stairs, unlock her apartment door and set him on the sofa (which still had the plastic moving covers). Natsu soon found himself distracted by all the boxes that were stacked in the corners of the living room. He wondered if she was just moving in, or moving out. Whatever it was, he was grateful that she was still here. Then again, if she wasn't, this wouldn't have happened in the first place. Lucy muttered something about the mess before shooting out of her apartment, leaving him alone.

At least she turned the lights on before she left.

The salmon haired man struggled to get a more comfortable position on the couch, a little irritated of the crinkling plastic covers. It was a nice apartment and despite his hatred for the plastic, the sofa was quite comfortable too. Comfortable enough to sleep on. Probably.

A commotion from the window caught his attention and he twisted just in time to see Happy shoot in from the opening. Despite the inner voice that told him the open window with that tree out front was extremely dangerous, he admitted that coming through the window looked quite fun. Not that he was ever planning to come in through someone's window. It just looked like it was fun, that's all. Not a moment later, The blue feline hopped on the coffee table in front of the sofa. Happy gave the man a loud complaint, breaking him from his thoughts and sat down, staring intently into Natsu's eyes.

"Hey! Off the table," the salmon haired man hissed in a panic, "Mira doesn't like it when you sit on the bar. I'm sure this Luigi person wouldn't like you sitting on her table."

"My name is _Lucy_," the namesake corrected, closing the front door and frowning, "And it doesn't matter. Happy sat on every flat surface in this apartment, the coffee table included."

Natsu twisted a bit more to see the blonde dropping her keys on the table, "But I thought all girls hated that kind of stuff."

"I have a feeling that your cat would do it even if I hated it. So there's no point in scolding him," Lucy sighed, heading into the kitchen, "I'm going to take a while so just get comfortable."

She plopped the basket on the dining table and looked around for a short second before doing what needed to be done. She figured since soup is good for a sick person, she might as well make stew. Unfortunately, it takes quite a long time to get the meat tendered. So she started on it earlier. She took out all of the ingredients and quickly started the preparations; cutting the vegetables, seasoning the meat and stuff of that caliber. Once she was satisfied, she left left the pot of ingredients to slowly cook before putting the rest of the groceries away. She decided to leave out a couple of sardines, she didn't know whether Happy ate them cooked or raw.

Lucy pursed her lips as she looked around her kitchen, trying to remember where she put her first-aid kit. Arms crossed, she frowned until the location of the red case dawned on her. She headed towards the cabinet above the sink and smiled proudly, stretching to grab the first-aid kit from the bottom shelf and a bowl for some water. Once successful, she filled the bowl with warm water and returned to the living room with an armful of towels. Natsu's face held a frown, his eyes glazed over as if he was deep in thought.

"Do you need painkillers?" Lucy asked in concern, placing everything on the table next to Happy, "Because I have some in the cabinet if you need it."

Natsu's eyes refocused as he turned them onto her and for the first time, Lucy noticed how... different his hair color was. She didn't know why she was only noticing it now but in the apartment's light, she could actually see him. He was... attractive in his own way, not that she was actually checking him out or anything. However, he did look as strong as his silhouette had complimented earlier. Sure he was a bit beaten and bruised, but she could still appreciate what was given.

She was usually a good judge in character and the man before her was truly a kind person. He had a strong sense of justice, she knew that much since she was practically saved by him, and he was strong, same reasoning as before. Other than that, Lucy couldn't go on. He had a strange sense of mystery that surrounded him, causing red flags to pop up in her head. She quietly brushed them away, he was already in her apartment after all. She trusted him, and that's all there was to it.

Natsu had also done a quick inspection of her as well. She was pretty, that he could say. Bright blonde hair and equally bright chocolate brown eyes. She looked frail, like glass. However, Natsu had met quite a few girls like her that proved to be otherwise, he guessed this was one of those cases. She seemed smart but could be a bit oblivious since she still hadn't seemed to notice his scarf around her neck.

He made another quick note to ask for it back.

He could tell she was kind through and through. Natsu could also sense that she wasn't some kind of person who put everything that they were on the surface, and he respected that. He knew he wasn't much of of thinker either, but she was making him do just that. She made him wonder and want to ask questions. He didn't know what about her made him want to do that. She somehow made Happy trust her to the point where the feline hadn't returned home last night. She invited him into her home without anything except a name. Not only that, Natsu couldn't understand why there would be a person as trusting as she. There was a word for people like her, but he couldn't quite put a finger on it. After a moment of hard thinking, he snapped his fingers in realization.

"Weird," Natsu finally muttered, his eyes brightening as he pointed at her, "You're a weirdo."

"Gee, thanks," Lucy snorted sarcastically, slightly nudging the bowl to the side and sitting in front of him.

Her father's warnings about sitting on tables crossed her mind but she stubbornly pushed it away and grabbed one of the towels she brought. She quickly dunked it in the luke-warm water before turning back to the salmon haired man and gripping his arm. Without even so much as a warning, the blonde dabbed the wound with the towel.

"Ouch," Natsu hissed, cursing under his breath, shooting a glare at the blonde. "What the heck was that for?"

"For calling me a weirdo," Lucy replied flatly, pulling his arm so she could inspect it closer, "Now stop being a baby, I'm just trying to clean it."

"And here I thought you were nice," Natsu muttered, tensing when she brought the towel closer. Much to his relief, she was extremely gentle this time.

"It's a common misconception," The blonde replied, carefully twisting his arm. "It's not a deep cut, so I don't have to stitch it. You're lucky."

"I'd bet," Natsu muttered, running his free hand through his hair.

Lucy rolled her eyes, dabbing the cut two more times before turning to search in the first-aid kit for the disinfectant ointment and gauze. She smeared the disinfectant on her finger and turned back towards him. This time, she warned Natsu before even descending onto the cut. He flinched but continued to stay quiet, never once complaining. Happy had moved onto Lucy's bed sometime between their bickering, but neither noticed.

Once she was satisfied, Lucy wrapped the gauze around the cut enough times to cover it before cutting it.

"Now take off your shirt, I have to check your back."

Having no qualms, the salmon haired man shrugged before twisting in his seat and pulling off his shirt. He winced twice as the fabric and the sudden movement caused pain to shoot down his spine. He let out a breath of relief once he got his shirt off fully, twisting so the blonde would get a better look at his back. He waited a couple of seconds but he could feel neither her hands or the wet towel on him. Frowning, he glanced over his shoulder only to lock eyes with the surprised blonde.

"What?"

"Y-you just t-took off your sh-shirt," Lucy exhaled, trying to stop her stutters but failing miserably.

"So?" Natsu asked confused, not understanding, "You asked me to."

"But you just did it!" She exclaimed, a blush pulling at her face, "Without any smart comments or teasing or anything!"

"I'll remember to do that next time then," He rolled his eyes, "Geez, you're such a weirdo."

"And there it is again!" The blonde fumed. She slapped the lower part of his back, aware of the large cut on his shoulder blade. The sudden contact made him laugh. Actually, her entire reaction made him laugh. "Calling me a weirdo. You're a complete idiot anyway! Do you even hear what you say?"

"Hey!"

"Don't '_Hey_' me, mister! '_I'll remember to do it next time_'," Lucy scoffed, deepening her voice at the last bit. "As if. This better not be happening again!"

"You're saying that like you'll never see me again, Luce," Natsu chuckled.

"It's _Lucy_ and believe me," The blond muttered, "I wasn't planning to."

"That cuts deep," Natsu laughed, not offended in the least.

"Okay, shut up so I can check out your back," Lucy huffed, pushing his shoulder to turn him. She immediately flushed at the implication, what she said now just clicking into her mind. Natsu's body shook under her hands as he struggled to hold back his laughter. "Okay... that totally didn't mean how it sounded."

"Sure it didn't, Luce."

"I liked you better when you didn't have anything stupid to say... wait!"

"Aw, I like you too."

Lucy face-palmed when Natsu's loud laughter filled the empty apartment, "I walked right into that one."

"You're way too easy to tease," The salmon haired man said through a smile.

"Yeah, yeah. Just shut it, you oaf," She rolled her eyes.

Lucy turned and dunked a clean towel into the bowl of water, which had turned cold. She hadn't realized they were sitting long enough for the water to cool down to that point. She frowned guiltily, wanting to change the water again. Before she could open her mouth though, a mischievous (and slightly evil) plan ran through her head. From touch, Natsu's body was quite warm. Warmer than an average body temperature at least and she was sure he didn't have a fever.

So maybe, just maybe, the cold water with have a more _shocking_ effect than it would if she used it on herself. Calling out her warning, she evilly brought the cold towel closer to his wound. When it touched his skin, she could practically feel the tremors that raced down his back. The loud guffaws that escaped her mouth rivaled the laugh she had when Happy sandwiched four cookies between his face and the wall.

"Shit!" Natsu cursed, nearly falling off of the sofa, "That's freaking cold!"

"Oh is it?" Lucy asked through her laughter, "I hadn't noticed!"

"...you're evil."

"Thank you!"

Natsu chuckled despite the dirty trick that the blond had played on him. He listened to her laughter joyfully ring throughout the apartment. It was a nice sound, a nice change from the disgruntled reactions that he often pulled from her. It was actually nice hearing another loud, happy laughter that was completely new and not his own. Though it was strange that she knew he was easily caught by the cold, his worst enemy.

"I'm sorry," Lucy apologized, wiping a tear from her eye as she quickly cleaned off his wound with the cold towel.

"Why are you apologizing?" Natsu asked, flinching every time the towel contacted his skin.

"It seems I have exploited one of your weaknesses," The blonde smiled, quickly putting the towel back on the table and examining the clean wound.

"Well you don't have to apologize," Natsu returned, "Just consider it a joke among friends."

"That sounds smart."

He quickly twisted, shooting a playful glare at the blonde, "You callin' me stupid?" The laugh the comment induced was warmly welcomed and Natsu grinned in response.

"I was agreeing with you," Lucy rolled her eyes, "But if that's what you wanna call it..."

It was Natsu's turn to roll his eyes, "So how am I looking, Doc?"

"Actually," Lucy frowned, "This one actually cut pretty deep. I might need to stitch it." Natsu wince and she easily returned it, "I know. That doesn't sound too pleasing."

"But if you have to," Natsu shrugged, "Then I'll try to duke it out."

"Are you sure?" She asked skeptically, "We could try wait it out and see if I have to stitch it up in the morning. Wait, that's implying that you're staying the night. So I'll just do it."

"So you're kicking me out?" He asked with a grin.

"Inviting you in is one thing," Lucy replied with a grimace, "Letting you stay over is a completely different story. I don't know you."

"Well I'm Natsu."

"Yeah, I got that part," Lucy stated flatly, causing him to grin at her tone, "Thanks."

"Not that I'm pushing to stay or anything," Natsu chuckled, "But what's the problem?"

"Well, for one, you're a complete stranger," Lucy pointed out. When the salmon-haired man raised an eyebrow and pointedly turned to Happy, "Two, you're not an animal like Happy and since we were talking about that blue feline, look at him. Look at how comfortable he is."

Deciding to amuse the blonde, Natsu turned and scanned his furry best friend. The salmon haired man wasn't very surprised to see the blue feline sprawled comfortably on the blonde's bed, like she said. Natsu could see that his friend wasn't going to be moving off of there any time soon. If they even tried to move the furball with the intention of pulling him away, he'd be sure to scratch. It seemed that they both knew that so in agreement, he nodded.

"That's the product of getting cleaned, fed and sleeping over," Lucy went on, "I'm cleaning you up right now and I'm planning to feed you. Just because that's one of the best ways to recover from blood loss and dizziness. So I'm checking that off the list. And if I let you sleep over... well," The blond trailed before motioning to Happy, "Well, let's just say _that_ will happen."

"Point taken," Natsu smirked, crossing his arms in front of his chest, "And dully noted."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Since I had no stories set up for today's update and I had completed this chapter like, two days ago, I decided to upload this. There's not much I can say in this Author's Note but the updates are going to spread apart for the next couple of chapters. I hope that you all will stick with me for the duration of this story and I want to thank you for the support so far!**

**I hope you enjoy and I'll see you in the next one! -808Lionfire**

**Disclaimer: Fairy Tail (c) Hiro Mashima**

* * *

><p>Chapter 4-<p>

Lucy slumped from where she was sitting on her coffee table, lightly chewing on her nail out of habit. Natsu, her salmon-haired savior, sat in front of her. He had twisted in his seat to where she could still see the wound but still talk to the blonde properly. Not having much experience with manners, he felt that talking without at least some form of eye contact wasn't very polite. He could still tell that she was contemplating about what to do about the slice on his back, wondering whether to stitch it or not.

He could have told her that he heals unusually quickly and that stitches wouldn't matter, but for some reason, his heart wasn't in the thought. Of course, he wasn't a masochist (he didn't take pleasure in any form of pain), so he'd tell her soon. Probably...

Eventually.

"Let's just do it this way then," Lucy muttered absentmindedly as she rummaged through the first-aid kit for another roll of gauze. Gripping the bandage in her hand, she turned back to Natsu with a grin on her face, "I have a ton of these, so waisting it isn't really possible. We'll get you wrapped up, fed and we'll see where to go from there. If you need stitches, then I'd be glad to give them to you."

"Ugh," Natsu shuddered, "Why do you sound so happy about that?"

"I'm not," The blonde replied, struggling to drop her grin, "But I've never done it-"

"Then you're not doing it to me!" The salmon-haired man exclaimed, shifting away. She quickly grabbed his shoulder, being mindful of the wound on his back.

"Let me finish," Lucy scolded, turning him back to her, "I've never done it _to anyone other than myself_." She stressed the last part, shooting a pointed look at the man. Lucy snobbishly stuck her nose in the air, "However, I am first-aid certified and being able to stitch a wound shut was in the training."

Natsu calmed almost instantly but turned to look at her, a weird gaze in his eyes, "Where do you even learn this kind of stuff? Better yet, why do you even want to know this kind of stuff?"

"Well," Lucy muttered, turning away when a flush settled on her cheeks, "I wanted to be a Doctor or Nurse at one point in my life. So when I was traveling, I interned at a hospital in Crocus." She dipped her hand back into the first-aid kit and pulled out the tube of disinfectant, "Having basic first-aid skills was one of the requirements so I guess that's where I learned that. But that's another story for a different day, let's get you cleaned up. I left dinner on the stove."

As she smeared more of the disinfectant on her finger, she heard Natsu take a deep breath, "Mm. Yeah, I can smell it."

"You can?" The blonde asked, taking a deep breath through her nose.

Unfortunately, she couldn't smell anything. With the kitchen door closed and the vent filtering the aroma to the outside air, he shouldn't have been to smell anything from the kitchen. Much less what she was cooking, so it was safe to say that she didn't believe him. A thought that this man could have heightened senses flittered through her mind but it seemed so far off that she just brushed it to the side. If it was true, she'd believe it but she wouldn't know what kind of profession a person like that would go to. That stumped the blonde completely.

However, now that she thought about it, the whole system for the kitchen really isn't safe. What if something was burning in the kitchen? She wouldn't have been able to smell it. Unless she remembers to never shut the kitchen door or close the vent before she leaves...

"Yeah," Natsu muttered, breathing in again, "It smells good."

"Thanks, I think," Lucy replied, a small, skeptical smile on her face, "But you're not supposed to be able to smell it."

"You don't believe me?" The salmon-haired man asked, giving her a disappointed look and a pout.

"I don't believe I ever said I did," She shrugged, lightly pushing his shoulder so she could get a better angle, "Now shush, I'm trying to concentrate."

Natsu wisely stayed quiet, tensing when Lucy placed her hand on his shoulder. She hadn't even done anything yet, only examine the wound to see where her best plan of attack (completely metaphorical) would be. Lucy pursed her lips before snorting in amusement.

"Why are you so tense?" She asked, amused. Lucy then heard him muttering something akin to 'you're evil' but she just waved it off. "Let's talk about something then," Lucy supplied, "To get your mind off of it."

"Fine."

"You're such a baby," She giggled, "I'm not even going to stitch you yet."

"Ask me a question," Natsu demanded, ignoring her earlier comment. At Lucy's laugh, he scowled half-heartedly, "Seriously. Ask me a question."

"Okay," Lucy smiled, trying to find a suitable question, "So convince me. If you can smell the food so well, what am I making?"

"Veggie Stew, obviously," Natsu replied, rolling his eyes.

"I don't suppose your superior nose can also sniff out the ingredients?" The blonde teased, handing him something and asking him to hold it over his shoulder. He did as she said and she quickly took whatever it was back. Though, Natsu was pretty sure it was the gauze.

"Nope."

"Thought so," She hummed, sliding her hand down his back, "But you're correct. Surprisingly." Ignoring his indignant protest, she hooked her arms around his torso for a brief second before pulling back. Grabbing the scissors, she cut the gauze before tucking it securely into one of the layers. "Done," She announced, putting the rest of the gauze in the red first-aid case, "But it's strange. I can't smell anything, why can you?"

Natsu gave her a smug smile, "Nose of a Firefighter."

"A what?" Lucy asked, her eyes widening. If possible, the salmon-haired man's smile grew. "I don't believe you."

"Why not?" He questioned, a chuckle passing his lips.

"I don't know," She replied, closing the first-aid kit and standing, "You look like the kind of person to start fires, not put it out."

"I am a Firefighter," Natsu pouted childishly, making the blonde roll her eyes, "But you're right."

Taking him completely by surprise, Lucy hit the back of his head and he slightly lurched forward out of pure instinct. Turning around quickly, he saw that she was as equally taken aback. The room had fallen so deathly quiet, even Happy lifted his head to see what was going on. However, Lucy broke the silence first when she slapped a hand over her mouth to stop a laugh from escaping.

"Oh crap," She muttered past her hand, trying to stop the giggles from escaping. The blonde adverted her eyes quickly, "I'm so sorry... I don't know what came over me." Natsu remained quiet but his eyes softened from it's shocked state and a silly grin spread across his lips. "But it serves you right," she muttered, quickly stepping from around the table and heading for the kitchen, "I'd bet you started half the fires you put out."

"You're not wrong," Natsu told her right as she opened the kitchen door.

He felt his mouth water almost instantly, getting a huge whiff of the food as the door opened. A groan left his lips as he slumped against the sofa, and he thought the food smelt delicious earlier. Lucy turned at the sound of his groan, concerned. She was about to ask him what was wrong but it seemed as if he was either stuck in euphoria or sleeping. Assuming it was the former, she just smiled, shook her head and disappeared into the kitchen.

She called out to Happy, dropping some of the sardines onto a plate and quietly walking towards the coffee table. The blue feline immediately scrambled to his paws and hopped off of her bed, his nose already in the air. Lucy placed the plate on the wooden top and placed her hands on her hips as Happy bounded towards her. She swore she saw the cat's eyes shining as he hopped onto the counter.

"I didn't cook them," she informed the cat who sniffed at the fish and looked up at her, "I figured you didn't really care anyway."

Happy let out a loud meow before he dipped his head and snatched up one of the sardines. Lucy rolled her eyes before turning on her heel and disappearing into the kitchen once again. She lightly hummed as she pulled a couple of bowls from the cabinets, placing them on the counter. After turning off the stove and stirring the stew, she grabbed a spoon and dipped it into the soup. Truthfully, it was a little thick, but that could be due to the potatoes that shrunk during the cooking process.

Lucy lightly blew on the spoonful that she scooped before tasting it. The flavors immediately coated her tongue, the heat finally kicking in after a second. Swallowing, she reached for the hot sauce. She didn't really like hot things but she liked her stew a bit spicy. She blamed that side of her on her father. Her mother loved to make the family dinners despite their chef's constant protests. Lucy supposed she liked it because that's all she knew back then.

After hitting the food with a couple of shots of the hot sauce, she tasted it again and nodded in satisfaction. She hoped Natsu doesn't mind the heat, it was an acquired taste after all.

"Hey, Natsu?" Lucy called, poking her head from around the door to look at the man lazily lounging on her couch.

A large, pleased grin spread across his face before he cracked open an eye to look at her, "Y'know, I think that's the first time you actually called me by my name."

"Is it?" Lucy inquired, her nose scrunching up in thought.

"Yeah, but don't worry about it," Natsu replied, shifting to a comfortable sitting position, "It was just something I noticed. What's up?"

"Oh yeah," She muttered, before she gave him a grin that held no regrets, "I hope you don't mind a little heat. It's the only way I can have my stew."

"Really?" He asked, raising an eyebrow, "I actually like my food hot, but not much people do."

"That's perfect then," The blonde smiled in satisfaction before another thought popped up in her head, "By the way, do you want to eat in the dining room or are you okay eating in here?"

He gave her a guilty smile and she immediately frowned, "I actually think I, uh, sprained my ankle."

"Seriously?" Lucy exclaimed, face-palming at the salmon haired man, "Why didn't you say that earlier?"

"I was focused on other things."

"Yeah? Like what?"

"Well, trying to convince you to give me the basket when we were walking," Natsu listed, "Trying my best to stop myself from collapsing on you. Wondering why you would invite me into your home with only knowing my name. Trying not to faint amongst a lot of other things."

"Okay, okay," Lucy laughed, "I get it. You're extremely problematic."

"Gee, thanks."

"Don't mention it," She shrugged, a teasing grin on her face, "Well whatever, it looks like we're eating in here then. Just hold on, I'll be right out."

"'Kay," Natsu muttered, shifting for what felt like the hundredth time.

He glanced at Happy who was already looking at him with a mischievous glint in his eye, a half eaten Sardine hanging from his mouth. The salmon haired man frowned at the blue feline, shooting a glare in his direction. Happy just seemed to smirk before giving the man a shrug and returning to his food. Natsu rolled his eyes at his furry friend before glancing around. He was once again struck by just how empty (totally disregarding all the moving boxes) the apartment was compared to how messy his house seemed to be.

That was another thing. The apartment was clean, too clean. There was barely a speck of dust anywhere, making it seem almost lifeless. It didn't feel like a home yet. The thought that she could be moving away flittered through his head again, but he brushed that to the side. He hadn't seen her around town so that must mean she was currently moving _into_ Magnolia, not out. Other than that, there were empty picture frames hanging on the walls and a few paintings here and there. Natsu figured that he messiest, or most used, place had to have been the study desk by the window.

"Here we are," Lucy's voice announced, breaking him from this thoughts.

Natsu turned to see the blonde carefully balancing three bowls on her arms while holding two mugs in her hands. He would have stood to help her but his ankle refused even a twitch. Sighing helplessly, he watched as she made her way over and placed two bowls of stew on the coffee table and the other bowl of what looked like milk in front of Happy. Despite her struggle, she served them naturally and fluidly.

"Don't tell me," Natsu murmured as she placed a mug of what looked like grape juice in front of him, "You were also a waitress in one point of your travels."

"Correct," Lucy smiled, sitting down and crossing her legs. She passed him a spoon before lifting her bowl off of the table, "A kind, elderly man asked if I could work for a day, said he'd pay me. The Spirit King knows I needed the cash." Before she went to eat, her eyes lit up and she quickly pulled a bottle of hot sauce out of her pocket before handing it to him, "The stew is kind of mild but you said you liked spicy stuff so I brought this with me."

"8-Island?" Natsu asked, gratefully unscrewing the top of the bottle before dumping almost the whole thing in.

"Yeah," Lucy nodded, scooping a spoonful of stew into her mouth. Swallowing, she shifted so she was facing the man, "How'd you know?"

"Old man Yajima is a friend of my boss," Natsu replied with nonchalance, scooping some food in his mouth. After letting out a satisfied hum, his eyes shut out of pure instinct, "This is delicious."

The blonde flushed, "Thanks."

Lucy was suddenly taken aback when Natsu started to shovel the food in his mouth. Food sprayed everywhere, some landing on the wooden floor, others landing on the plastic moving covers. Happy didn't seem to notice the flood of food that dropped hear his paw or inside of the empty sardine bowl. She honestly hadn't expected the man to be a clean eater but this took her completely by surprise. It was both intriguing and a little gross, she had to admit. Okay, she may have exaggerated a little but he was still messy nonetheless.

When he finished, he asked her for more and she wordlessly dumped her share into his bowl. After muttering a quick 'thanks' he went back to eating in the way that only he could. And man, could he eat! She stood up silently as she walked into the kitchen and poured another serving into her empty bowl, already knowing that he would ask for more. The blonde sighed as she shook her head in amusement.

"You have horrible table manners," Lucy scolded after she made her third round back into the kitchen.

"I get that a lot," The salmon-haired man muttered as he gratefully accepted his fifth helping of Lucy's homemade stew. She laughed and headed towards the other side of the room. Natsu paused in his eating, the spoon halfway towards his mouth as his eyes unconsciously followed her. He watched as she opened a drawer and rummaged through it. "What are you doing?"

"Not that you need to know but I'm going to take a bath," Lucy informed, glancing at him over her shoulder. She gathered her clothes and walked to her closet to grab her towel.

He lifted an eyebrow at that, "With me here?"

"Well you can't move because of your sprain so I don't have to worry about you," The blonde replied back with a sassy smirk, one hand on her hip, "And even if you did try to sneak a peak, I'd hear you fall before you could even head towards the bathroom."

"Point taken," Natsu muttered before shoving the food back into his mouth.

He was faintly aware of the blonde's footsteps as she made her way to the bathroom. Despite the food being amazingly spicy, only half of his mind was focused on the food while the other heard the bathroom click shut. Happy purred joyfully as he jumped from the table to settle next to the man. Natsu set the empty bowl on the coffee table and ran his hand down the blue feline's spine. A sense of peace flowed through him, like after every good meal, as he closed his eyes, listening to his furry friend's purrs.

He didn't know when he fell asleep or how long he was sleeping but soon, he was awoken by a gentle shake and a strong scent of strawberries and vanilla.

"Hey, Natsu?" Lucy's soft voice floated to him, causing a smile to stretch across his lips.

He contemplated on whether he should feign sleep but wisely decided against it. When Natsu opened his eyes, he saw that she had already cleaned up his mess without a look of annoyance or irritation. He didn't even know that she had started to clean up and Natsu considered himself a light sleeper. When Lucy gently took her hand off of his shoulder, he brought his attention back to the blonde. Her hair was still wet as it framed her slightly flushed face. The affects of stepping out from a hot shower.

Something was folded over her arm but he barely noticed because she was staring at him with a slight bit of panic. Red alarms rang through his head as he immediately straightened, his body alert. Lucy had to move back to narrowly avoid an accidental head-butt.

"Luce?" Natsu asked, his eyes frantically scanned the apartment for danger in any shape or form, "Are you okay? What's wrong?"

"Nothing! I'm fine!" The blonde exclaimed, trying to calm him down. It wasn't until Lucy squished his face between her hands when he finally calmed, forcing him to focus back onto her, "I'm fine, I'm fine! Why are you freaking out?"

Natsu shot a look at her, gently pulling her hands from his face, "Why were you scared? I thought someone broke into the apartment!"

"I wasn't scared!" Lucy argued, tugging her hands from his worried grip, "I was panicking because you feel asleep!"

"Why would you panic because I fell asleep?!" He exclaimed, exasperated, "It's not like I had a concussion!"

"You finished Happy's third step!"

"Happy's third- What the Hell are you talking about, Luce?"

"Sleep! You fell asleep! In my apartment!"

"And why does that matter?!"

"Don't you remember? Cleaning, eating then sleeping?" Lucy asked, knocking the man on the side of her head, "Never leaving? Ring any bells?"

"Seriously?!" Natsu growled out, bringing up his hands and squishing the blonde's face between them like she had done earlier, "You made me worried just because of that?"

Lucy laughed as she swatted his hands away, "Thank you for worrying but that's besides the point. The point _is_ that you fell asleep and if I ever find you in here, I will not be held responsible for my actions and any hospital bills that you may send."

"You can't hurt me, Luce," Natsu rolled his eyes cockily and got a sharp slap to the side of his head in response, "_Ouch_, dammit!"

"Ha!"

"That didn't count!"

"Whatever you say!" Lucy laughed mockingly before throwing something on his face, temporarily blocking his vision.

When Natsu finally freed himself of the blonde's death trap, he felt the familiar material of his scarf slide between his hands. Looking down, he was surprised to see the scaled texture of his scarf finally back in his hands. Natsu turned around in his seat and shot a look at Lucy who was crawling onto her bed. To be honest, he kind of forgot about not having it around him.

"Where did you get this?"

Lucy paused, halfway under the covers and shot him a weird look, "What are you talking about? You let me use it when I was knocked out, dummy."

"I don't remember giving it to you," Natsu accused.

"Well neither do I," Lucy shot back, "I was out like a light when you put it around me. Happy would be the only one to remember, but he can't talk."

"Sure he can."

"And he can sprout wings and fly," Lucy snorted sarcastically, fitting the blankets around her legs.

"Now that's a little out there," Natsu muttered, purposely ignoring her sarcasm, "You are a weirdo, Luce." His body lurched forward as something else hit the back of his head, "Hey!"

"It's a pillow, stupid," She pointed out as he pulled the fluff from his face and shot her a glare, "Since you already broke the third step, you might as well sleep but you're staying on the couch!"

"What?"

"I would have let you take the bed but you keep on calling me a weirdo!"

"That's because you keep callin' me stupid!"

"That's because you are!"

Natsu was about to reply but his blue-furred companion stumbled awake and yawned. Drawing his eyes down, he watched as the cat flicked his ears before hopping off of the couch. The blue cat turned his large eyes on the salmon-haired man before smirking. Natsu quickly bent down to catch the cat but he easily danced out of his hands and trotted towards the blonde who was looking sleepier by the second. With irritation, he watched as his feline friend hopped up on the bed with no resistance from the blonde.

"How come he gets to sleep on the bed?" Natsu whined, earning a tired smile from Lucy.

"He can't call me a weirdo," She muttered sleepily, "And he's a cat, so that's why."

Lucy drew her hand down Happy's spine and making him purr loudly. The blue feline curled his tail around the blonde's hand before trotting onto her pillow and curling into the crook of her neck. She laughed when she heard Natsu mumble something about Happy being a traitor before snuggling up against the cat. Her father would find it unfit to even sleep in the same room with a man, much less an unmarried man and a stranger no less. On the other hand, he did save her.

"Don't be a baby, Natsu. At least I'm not trying to kick you out yet," She muttered softly, unaware of any response the salmon-haired man would have returned. She pulled the blankets over her shoulders, her eyes fluttering shut. "There's a blanket on the floor. Good night, Dummy."

When she didn't hear a response, she figured he had already fell asleep. But right before her mind slipped into unconsciousness she could have sworn she heard him say something. Unbeknownst to her, Natsu had grinned while staring up at the ceiling, his mind unwilling to fall asleep so quickly.

"Good night, Weirdo."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: OMG! Thank you all for waiting so patiently and for all the uplifting reviews :D I got hit with a major writer's block recently and I couldn't even find a good plot for a one-shot for the last two update days. In better news: I'm trying to finish up the third chapter for Asuka's Dolls (for those following that story) and I'll either post it today or tomorrow but I promise that it'll be soon!**

**But enough of my rambling! ****Enjoy and I'll see you in the next one! -808Lionfire**

**Disclaimer: Fairy Tail (c) Hiro Mashima**

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><p>Chapter 5-<p>

Lucy let out a soft sigh, the action coming out more as a breath than a sound. She felt extremely comfortable waking up that day, bundled up in warmth's embrace and a smile of content stuck on her face (completely disregarding the fact that what she said rhymed). It was probably the best sleep she had in years. She noted to send a satisfactory letter to the mattress and quilt company later. Unconsciously, she nuzzled her face into her pillow which had strangely taken to smelling like kind of a woodsy scent mixed in with a bit of ash.

Which was weird because that's what Natsu's scarf... smelt like (not like she smelt it or anything, that would actually make her the weirdo Natsu said she was).

Lucy's eyes shot open and she was instantly met with a bandaged chest. She desperately tried to keep in a surprised squeal, noticing that the salmon-haired man was sleeping like a log. She tried to raise her hand to her mouth but found that one of her arms was squished between them. The other was trapped under the surprisingly heavy arm that weighed her down like an iron bar. She tired to move her legs next but found that Happy was currently sprawled over them. Bitting her bottom lip she kicked Happy off with a heavy heart, squirmed to get free and failing quickly. It wasn't like her squirming made a difference but it was enough to pull her arm out at least.

"Natsu," Lucy hissed, pushing the man's shoulder.

A drowsy smile spread across the salmon-haired man's face, "Just... five more minutes... Happy."

If possible, Natsu had pulled the blonde closer like she was some kind of stuffed doll. He turned his head and half-buried his face into Lucy's pillow, breathing deeply. Heat shot up Lucy's neck, finally understanding the severity of the situation. She tried to control the blush that took over her face, relieved and annoyed that he was blissfully snoring away.

Sometime in the night, he had not only managed to somehow sneak into her bed, he also stole her blankets, used her like a dang stuffed animal and had stolen her pillow. However, he had been a bit considerate by letting her use his arm like a pillow but that wasn't the point! He snuck into her bed! This man! A total stranger! Saying that she was livid would have been a _massive_ understatement.

With steely resolve, Lucy managed to break free from his iron grip and kicked him harshly off of her bed, satisfied when she heard him yell out before hitting the floor with a resounding thud. It wasn't until Natsu let out a painful groan when she realized that he was still injured and she could have made it worse. Scrambling to her knees, she quickly crawled to the other side of the bed and peeked down. Happy had somehow tumbled off of the bed along with his human partner and was now sprawled across Natsu's bare stomach. Natsu on the other hand was giving the ceiling a confused glare, rubbing the heel of his palm over one of his eyes.

Despite being concerned for his injuries, Lucy couldn't help but let out a snicker behind her hand. Natsu turned his dark eyes onto the blonde and gave her an accusing glare. She tried to return it but a sputtering laugh escaped her, instantly cracking the glare she tried hard to call on.

"Your face," Lucy snickered humorously.

"Good morning to you too," Natsu grumbled, a grin threatening to pull at his lips.

A series of loud knocks cut off the reply Lucy was going to shoot back at him. The blonde sat up and looked over to her apartment door, her eyes widening in alarm. She should have known that Natsu's thud would have alerted the others, especially Levy who lived directly below her. Pursing her lips, her shoulders slumped in defeat. If she was unlucky, Levy would have frantically asked one of the other girls to join her or someone she hadn't met (which was everyone except for Levy) would have heard and came on their own. If she was lucky, the only person to hear would be Levy.

"Lu-chan! Are you okay?" Her blue-haired friend's voice filtered in from under the door, another set of rapid knocks followed, "We heard a thud."

Looks like she's unlucky today, Lucy cursed under her breath before peering back at the salmon-haired man. He had turned his head in the direction of the voice, his eyes narrowed at the door.

"Natsu!" Lucy hissed quietly, "You have to hide!"

Natsu's dark eyes turned to her, smart enough to lower his voice when he spoke, "Where?!"

"Under the bed!" She shot back quickly, he gave her a weird look. Levy called out for her again and Lucy pursed her lips, her eyes drawing back towards the door. "I'm coming!" She called before shooting a stern glare at the salmon-haired man, "Don't give me that look, just get under the bed. Please?"

Natsu stared at her for a moment longer before sighing and doing as she asked. It was a tight fit but he successfully squeezed both him and Happy under the bed. Satisfied, Lucy draped the blankets over the side, just to conceal him further before heading towards the door. With a deep breath she hastily flipped the lock and slowly pulled the door open.

"Hey!" Lucy exhaled, forcing a wide smile on her face.

"Hey," Levy smiled back, peeking around the blonde, "Is everything okay? We heard a thud."

The blue-haired woman motioned with her hand to the tall, white-haired beauty standing behind her. Lucy sworn had seen her before, she'd have to be living under a rock for the last ten years if she didn't. She had seen her, Mirajane Strauss, in magazines and even in on large billboard ads,. This woman took the entire country of Fiore by storm the first few years she had started modeling. She's still extremely famous in major cities like Magnolia and Crocus, but now critics refer to her as a 'Last-Gen Model'.

Lucy assumed that the ex-model was extremely heart-broken and that's why she hadn't modeled recently. Looking at her now, she couldn't help but believe otherwise. That very model was standing in front of her, with a welcoming smile (albeit a little concerned) and looking fresher than she ever had in any picture. Lucy was faintly aware that words had escaped her mind upon finally noticing Mirajane, so it was safe to say that she was gaping like one of the fish that Happy seemed to love so much.

"Lu-chan?" The bluenette asked worriedly, unaware of the blonde's inner turmoil, "Is something wrong?"

"A-ah! N-no, of course not!" Lucy stuttered, opening the door wider and inviting the girls in. She hid her wince when they thanked her, only one thought filtered through her mind, '_I'm so sorry Natsu!_'

"It seems like you're settling in well," Mirajane pointed out, looking around the furnished living room.

"Y-yes, I am. Thank you," Lucy smiled shakily, her eyes shifting towards her bed a few times, "Would you like anything to drink? Or something to eat?"

She could practically hear Natsu cursing her each time a word came out of her mouth. She wouldn't blame him if he was. But even if he wasn't, she must have been doing it enough for both of them. Heck, she was already digging both of their graves.

"Oh, no," Mirajane smiled gratefully, "We just came inside to ask what the noise was."

"I fell out of bed!" Lucy quickly informed, linking her hands behind he back as she gently rocked on the balls of her feet, "Rolled over in my sleep and then... _f_-_flop_...?"

"Sleep?!" Levy exclaimed, her eyes widening, "How late did you stay up?"

Lucy gave her friend a curious glance, "I went to sleep around midnight. Why?"

"Lu-chan," The bluenette sighed in amusement, smiling at her friend, "It's one-thirty in the afternoon."

"Really?!" The blonde exclaimed, scrambling over towards her bedside and picking up her alarm clock.

True to her word, the red numbers stared right back at her. She pressed her forehead onto the cool glass of the clock, unable to figure out why she slept so long. She had set her alarm yesterday, so that meant she must have slept right through it. However, even if she did somehow sleep through her blaring alarm, her body always forced herself up before noon and never later. Lucy sighed, her father would be so disappointed.

"Lucy?" Mirajane's voice reached her ears, a soft hand falling on the blonde's shoulders, "Is something wrong? Do you need to be somewhere?"

Lucy looked over her shoulder and gave the white-haired woman a smile, "No, nothing of the sort. It's just strange that I slept in this long." She placed her clock back onto the nightstand before standing up. She gave both of the women a reassuring smile, "Thank you for checking up on me anyway."

"Don't worry about it," Mirajane smiled back, stepping back to give the blonde her space, "We were just worried."

"Worried?"

"Didn't you hear?" Levy asked with a raised brow, "A team at work picked up a bunch of guys off the street not too far from here. Turns out, they belonged to an group that specializes in Human Trafficking. They have been kidnapping women mostly but they'll take anyone who'd make a good buck. The team, Raijinshuu, have been tracking the group for a few months with no solid leads. Although recently, a member of ours tipped them off last night before he ran out of the hall. He ran so fast, I swore he left a trail of fire."

"I still have Elfman cleaning it up," Mira joked. The two girls shared a look of amusement, however, Lucy could sense their undercurrent of worry.

"When they got there though, all of the men were knocked out," Levy folded her arms and narrowing her eyes at the floor, "And he was nowhere to be seen but he was there. We know that for sure."

The blonde gave the pair a confused look, "How would you know for sure?"

"The guild likes to call him 'Salamander'," Mirajane supplied, both an amused and distressed smile on her face at the thought.

"Like the fire dragon?" Lucy questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Exactly like the fire dragon," Mira giggled, "We're not trying to give you a bad impression of him or anything but he's extremely destructive."

"That's an understatement," Levy snorted, "I've known him since we were children. There were at least ten craters created by him last night. Six in the alley walls, and four different indentions in the floor. For him, that's mild. Thankfully, he hadn't destroyed a building this time."

'_This time_?' Lucy thought skeptically, a bit of horror seeping into her thoughts.

The bluenette shrugged and continued on without noticing the blonde's distress, "Master's going to cry when the Mayor sends him the bill."

"So this Salamander person, is he..." Lucy trailed, a little bit of fear leaking into her voice before continuing, "Is he that bad?"

"Like Mira said earlier," Levy reassured immediately, trying to wave her hand in a panicked dismissal, "We're not trying to give you a bad impression of him or anything."

"Just try not to get on his bad side," Mirajane smiled, placing a delicate hand on her cheek. Lucy's eyes widened as her eyes shot between the two. Mira still kept her smile as she continued on, "We're not making it any better, are we?"

"No," Lucy shook her head, a sheepish smile on her face, "Not really."

"I guess you won't have a problem hearing this then," Levy sighed, "The Raijinshuu squad returned with the men in cuffs and when we asked, they explained the scene in detail. There was blood, not too much but it was there and as I said earlier, _he_ wasn't there anymore. There was a trail of... y'know." The bluenette bit her lip and dropped her gaze to her feet. Lucy noticed that they weren't saying this Salamander's name, so this must have been a touchy subject for them. Levy folded her arms, "We're not trying to expect the worst but..."

"But he hasn't returned since," Mirajane added at the end, her face finally twisting in worry, "We stopped here for a quick break before we go back out to search. When we heard the thump from your room, we were afraid that the men came back since it was so close."

"I'm sorry for worrying you, Levy-chan," Lucy muttered guiltily, "And I'm sorry for scaring you, Mirajane-san."

"Please, call me Mira," The white-haired woman smiled reassuringly, "All of my friends do."

"Thank you, Mira," Lucy smiled shyly, before perking up, "Sorry for keeping you, I'd hate to take up any more of your time, girls."

"No problem," Levy smiled, "Thank you for having us. We'll be taking our leave now."

"Okay, I'll show you guys out," Lucy smiled, leading them towards the door.

"Wait!" Mira paused, twisting on her foot and walking towards the couch.

Levy and Lucy turned curiously, wondering what was so eye-catching in Lucy's nearly barren apartment. The blonde sucked in a sharp breath when Mira reached down and pulled up a familiar red shirt. Levy just continued to stare curiously at the article of clothing, wondering why Mira was so taken with it. Lucy wanted to shake her head so badly but was afraid they'd notice. So instead, she watched as Mira walked back towards them with a worried twist on her face.

Lucy whimpered loudly in her mind, panic immediately forcing her brain to overdrive. Damn Natsu for carelessly dropping is _bloodied_ and torn shirt on the ground. Damn herself for forgetting about it. What was she going to say about that? Lying was against every moral cell in her body but how was she going to explain that she took in a complete stranger, treated him and let him sleep over? Not only that. This stranger might possibly be the person that Mira and Levy was looking for and she kept him in her apartment the whole night.

What if they thought she kidnaped him? Or what if they thought that she was working with those Traffickers? She didn't want to worry them further by saying she was attacked and her savior was sliced. And if Natsu was really the person they were looking for, how was she to say that she indirectly made them worry for nothing! What in Earthland would they think of her then?!

"Where'd you get this shirt?" Mira asked, stopping the blonde's inner break-down and looking up to her with a worried frown.

"I found it last night when I came back from shopping," The blonde replied, her voice cracked a bit at the end but the other two didn't seem to notice. "It was hanging on a lamp near the canal. When you walk back from the market, there's that lamp by the bakery." Lucy turned to the bluenette and gave raised one of her eyebrows at her, "You know which one I'm talking about, right Levy-chan?"

"Oh yeah," Levy replied thoughtfully, "The one by the Strawberries and Sweets Bakery. That's actually where they found the guys knocked out, or at least that's where the fight took place."

"He's turning into Gray," Mira muttered under her breath.

"What was that?" Levy asked, turning her head towards the white-haired woman. Mira looked up, their eyes catching before she just gave her a shrug and a sad shake of her head. "Well at least this is a lead," Levy sighed and turned back towards the door, giving the blonde glance, "Do you mind if we take the shirt?"

"I don't mind," Lucy started to shake her head but then remembered Natsu hiding under her bed. Shirtless. "Actually!" Lucy announced, stopping both of the women from leaving, "It's actually torn and there's a bit of blood on it. I feel bad so I was going to fix it up, he saved my life after all."

Mira gave the blonde a suspicious glance, "And how'd he do that?"

"Ah, well," Lucy muttered, trying to think of a believable excuse. She cursed in her mind for that amateur slip-up. "You said that he beat up some Human Traffickers?" At the white-haired woman's nod, Lucy let out a silent sigh of relief, "When I passed there, his shirt was hanging up and no one was around. If I was there any time earlier, I could have been one of the victims and no one would know. So I kind of owe him."

"Hmm," Mire hummed, still eyeing the blonde before giving a slow nod and handing the shirt over, "That makes sense. It wouldn't make sense to give him this shirt if it stayed like this, he'd just throw it out anyway."

"Right," Lucy smiled, taking the cloth from the white-haired woman and clutching it to her chest in relief. That action hadn't passed Mira's watchful eyes even when Lucy hadn't even noticed what she did. "I have to step out soon as well so if you guys tell me what this Salamander person looks like, I'll try to keep a look out."

Mira's suspicion melted away as she clapped excitedly, reaching in her dress pocket to pull out a sheet of paper, "That's great! Here's a picture of him! We all pitched in together so we could pass this out to the merchants in the Market."

"I get that the marketplace contains half of Magnolia," Lucy trailed, taking the folded sheet from the white-haired woman, "But what benefits does passing out missing flyers there have?"

"He really loves food," Levy replied, "Like, really _really_ loves food. We were going to pass it out to all the Merchants that sell ready-made food. He'd turn up sooner or later."

"Sounds familiar," Lucy muttered under her breath, a snicker escaped her lips.

She carefully unfolded the paper and stared down at the drawing. It wasn't bad, per se, but now that she got a good look at the Salamander they were talking about, her suspicions were confirmed. It was Natsu, indefinitely. Even though the drawing looked nothing like the man, the hair color was easily recognizable. However, as Lucy's eyes widened at the quality of the drawing, she hadn't noticed the white-haired woman who looked at her expectantly.

"Who drew this?" Lucy asked, a skeptical eye looking down at the paper.

"I did," Mira exclaimed happily, "What do you think?"

"It's..." Lucy trailed, pursing her lips as she looked up at the white-haired woman, "It's unique."

"Thank you!" She grinned happily, "There's also descriptions on the back of the paper just in case you needed more than just the drawing to find him. There's also the contact information there so if you find him, you can contact us that way."

"I'll be sure to call you," Lucy smiled back.

"Thank you, Lu-chan," Levy gratefully bowed before heading towards the door.

Lucy followed them with a touched smile, glad she could have kind friends like them. Once they said their 'good-bye's, Mira and Levy walked a few feet down the hall before sharing a knowing look. Once the door to Lucy's apartment clicked shut, the two finally dissolved into a fit of quiet giggles. Their heads were close together as they snickered along with each other, unable to keep quiet. They had their good-willed suspicions of the knowledge the blonde held and were equally touched when they figured out that Lucy had kept some things a secret so they didn't have to worry further. And knowing them, they'd fret around the blonde like a pair of mother hens.

"She was definitely lying," Levy snickered behind her hand as they turned to walk down the steps.

"I can understand why though. Natsu can be quite scary," Mira giggled, giving the bluenette a sly smile, "In the few minutes that I got to know her, she looks like someone who'd invite a complete stranger into her home just because they were injured."

"And knowing him, he'd ask for food before leaving," Levy added, walking out of the apartment and turning down the street.

"But why would he leave without his shirt?" Mira asked thoughtfully, placing a finger on her chin. A gleam appeared in her eye as she smiled expectantly, turning towards the smaller woman, "Maybe he didn't?"

"I would agree with you if it was anyone other than Lu-chan," Levy shrugged, "I can't picture her as someone who would willingly let a stranger sleep over, even if he did save her or not. But I definitely did see her recognize Natsu's picture so she does know who he was."

"So if she did recognize him then that means she was probably attacked by those ruffians," Mira sighed heavily.

"Just look at it like this, Mira," Levy said, waving her finger in the air, "She may have been ambushed by them but she doesn't have any visible injuries so that also means he saved her just in time." The bluenette shrugged with a smile, "And who knows, maybe Natsu will be the one to convince Lu-chan to join Fairy Tail. When I was talking to her about it a few days ago, she was listening but she didn't seem that interested."

"I'm hope so," Mira said with a relieved smile.

"So what did you think of Lu-chan?" Levy asked, lightly bumping the other woman with her shoulder.

"I'm not too sure yet," The white-haired woman replied honestly, "I like her. Actually, I respect her and her concern for strangers like me. She practically lied so we wouldn't worry about her and although I don't usually condone lying, I understand. If she actually told us that she got attacked by those men I'd sympathize but I would also think she was either looking for attention or only cared about herself. But I'd still be worried, regardless."

"I probably would have forced her to come to the guild," Levy added, "Either for protection or to interrogate her. But now we have to worry about what we're going to do with those guys we caught."

"It's the Raijinshuu's problem," Mira muttered, shrugging, "They're the ones that picked up the job after all but the last time I heard, the capital's police are going to pick them up."

"But then what about the rest of them?" Levy inquired, folding her arms across her chest, "And all of those other girls that got kidnapped recently? Ugh, just thinking about those stupid Human Traffickers makes me so mad! If this wasn't a S-class mission, I would have done it myself!"

"Let's be glad this is an S-class mission though," Mira breathed, "Who knows how long this will last. I wouldn't want you stuck in a mission for so long, especially one with such little pay."

"It's one million jewels."

"And most S-class missions pay a lot more than that," The white-haired mage pointed out, "Even before the Raijinshuu team accepted the mission, the group has been running for half a year and now, a year later, they're still on the case. I can honestly tell you that this certain mission had been taking up most of their time as well, they haven't posted for another job since they started."

Levy let out a frustrated breath, "I guess."

"You'll get your chance, Levy," Mira smiled, wrapping her arm around the bluenette and gave the other woman a gentle squeeze before letting go.

The girls walked up to Fairy Tail's HQ, casually strolling through the already open doors. Heads turned to welcome back, others with worry and some with a bit of tiredness tinged on their faces. A familiar teen with spiky, dark purple hair jogged up to them with anticipation in his eyes. Levy gently patted Mira's shoulder before ruffling the boy's hair, even though he was almost the same height as her, before walking off. Mira smiled down at the teen and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Hello, Romeo," The white-haired woman greeted.

"Hello, Mira-nee," The dark purple-haired boy, Romeo, replied, "Did you find anything about Natsu-nii?"

"Actually we did," Mira replied with a reassuring squeeze before dropping her hand, "We actually met up with a woman who was saved by Natsu. In not so many words, she reassured us that Natsu is fine."

Romeo let out a breath of relief, peering around the white-haired woman to see if the familiar salmon-haired man was going to enter after her, "So when is he coming back?"

"Not sure," Mira replied, "He's still out and knowing him, he'll probably be looking for the rest of the group the men came from. They still have all the girls after all. You know him and his strong sense of Justice."

"Yeah," The teen sighed, "He probably won't stop until he saves those innocent people."

"That or he's going out for revenge..."

"Hmm? What was that Mira-nee?" Romeo asked, not catching what she just said.

"Nothing, Romeo," The white-haired woman just smiled and shook her head, patting his shoulder once again before heading towards the bar, "Let's just trust Natsu's judgement and hope that he won't destroy any buildings this time."


	6. Chapter 6

****A/N: Hehe... long time no see?****

****I apologize for not posting anything for like... a month. Or more? I dunno. I know last chapter I said that Asuka's Dolls was going to get posted a _long_ time ago but I have a really bad writer's block and I don't know how to get over it. So to whoever is still with me, I'll do my best to figure that out. For now, I promise _this_ chapter of As We Know It. I hope that helps :)****

****Enjoy and as always, see you in the next one! -808Lionfire****

****Disclaimer: Fairy Tail (c) Hiro Mashima****

* * *

><p>Chapter 6-<p>

Lucy pressed her back against her apartment door and let out a heavy sigh, "They didn't believe me. They definitely suspected something."

The blonde stayed there for a moment more before pushing off and walking towards the bed. She lifted the shirt to her face as she walked, examining the damage. There really wasn't much, or if there was, it was barely noticeable. There was little spots of blood here and there but the more significant patches had dried out, matching the color of the shirt. The holes weren't that large either, they were actually pretty narrow. A few sewing here and there and it would be as good as new.

Still, it could use a good wash, but she wanted Natsu out of her apartment as quick as possible. Sure he saved her, but he caused her just as much trouble as it was worth.

She walked towards her window and gently leaned forward. Not a moment later, the two women emerged from the front door. Their shoulders seemed to be significantly more relaxed than it was earlier. They also seemed to be conversing in a much more easy manner, laughing together and such. When they took the turn away from the marketplace, she was completely convinced that they knew she was lying.

For one, they looked a lot more relieved by the looseness of their shoulders. Secondly, they _were_ supposed to go to the marketplace to pass out the flyers to the merchants. One reason would be that they forgot about it, but considering how worried they were earlier, that's definitely not the case. Another reason could be that she had tipped them off by implying that Natsu was fine even though she had said nothing about him. That, or they saw the stupid idiot somehow. Even though she didn't want it to be the latter, it was a possibility that it could be it.

Sighing, Lucy pulled away from her window and walked around the bed. She pulled up the blanket that was still draped over the crack and peered down, expecting the man to immediately come crawling out. When he didn't, she frowned. She dropped to her knees and bent so she could look under the bed. What she saw was just a slight amount of dust and the wall on the other side of the bed. Not even the cat was in sight. Groaning pitifully, she briefly pressed her forehead against the soft carpet before sitting up and looking around. She should have figured they would do something like this.

"Natsu? Happy?" She called calmly, pulling herself up to her feet, "Hello? Anyone here?"

A small part of her hoped that they had left her apartment and left her alone. However a different part, a much larger part, was slightly panicked, immensely worried and (_only_ if the small part was correct) a little disappointed. Don't ask, she didn't understand it either. On another hand, even as the small part of her grew, something in her couldn't help but keep stomping that part down. Like it was trying to keep her from being disappointed when the strange pair proved her otherwise.

A loud crash sounded through her apartment and she face-palmed, knowing exactly who did it. The sound was slightly muffled so she figured it must have happened in an enclosed room. That left her only two options; the Bathroom or the Kitchen. Considering there was nothing in the bathroom to make that loud metal crash (unless they were playing with her shower and somehow broke the shower head), that room was out. Also taking Levy and Mira's depiction in consideration ('Salamander' loved food more than life itself), that only left the Kitchen to be searched.

However, before she was able to even put one foot in front of the other, the kitchen door opened slowly. A second later, Natsu's salmon colored head popped out, a sheepish smile marring his face.

"Hey, Luce?" He had asked, "How do you turn on your stove?"

The blonde looked blankly at the man, letting the silence settle between them before she let placed her hand against her forehead. Taking in a deep breath, she locked her gaze onto his, pleased when she saw his smile slowly drop.

"Natsu?"

"Yeah?"

"YOU'RE AN IDIOT!"

* * *

><p>"Honestly," Lucy scoffed exasperated as she delicately crossed her legs, concentrating on her sewing.<p>

A few minutes of chasing the salmon-haired man (and one really good hit to the back of his head), she had taken her morning shower and changed into comfortable clothes. After she had calmed from her soak, she had apologized by cooking a hearty breakfast for them. However, since he was an extremely large eater, she not only gave Natsu half of her breakfast, but she also started on fixing his shirt after she cooked a five course meal for him. Even if he couldn't eat it all, she would rather over-prepare than under-prepare. However, over-preparing nearly wiped out every ingredient in her fridge.

Despite the wallop that Natsu had gotten on the back of his head, he happily devoured the food the blonde prepared for him. Even Happy had gotten his quota of fish and a bowl of milk. They were extremely hungry despite the load that they consumed last night. Even the blue feline had no reserve when it came to eating, leaving not even an inch of clean counter space. Of course, she was exaggerating since she was the one who had to clean it up when they left. Lucy didn't know if she wanted to cry or just crawl in a hole and hide until the salmon-haired man and his blue cat forgot about her.

"Don't ever touch my stove," Lucy warned, pointing the needle at him before continuing her work, "I'm afraid that you might burn down something or somehow cause my stove to explode."

"I'm not _that_ bad," Natsu mumbled around the food in his mouth, his words barely coming out clearly.

"You tried to light the stove with the gas on high," The blonde deadpanned, her hands stopping momentarily, "If you had managed to light the fire, you'd burn off your eyebrows. And although that would be funny, I'd get in trouble somehow."

Natsu grumbled incoherently, pulling a quiet laugh and an amused smile from Lucy. Despite being pleased that she smiled, he felt annoyed that she was laughing _at_ him. As he continued to eat furiously, he caught himself watching what she was doing every so often. He was curious, usually when his shirts get bloody and torn (not that it happens often), he'd throw them away. No use wasting time on something that was ruined already, right?

However, she said she just was going to sew it anyway. Whatever that meant. Even despite his protests in just throwing it away, she insisted in doing so. The blonde had muttered something about it being improper to walk around without a shirt. He remembered that he scoffed at that, thinking about his rival and his 'improper' actions. Wait till she'd meet that pervy-popsicle, then him walking without a shirt wouldn't even faze her. Besides, she had wrapped enough gauze around his chest, he didn't even feel like he was shirtless.

"I don't think so."

Lucy's voice caught his attention, stopping his eating for just a moment. She had dropped what she was doing and caught Happy, one hand on his scruff and the other under his belly. She gently plopped the blue feline on her lap and started to stroke the cat down his spine, making Happy purr, well... happily. Once again, Natsu was surprised that the cat hadn't immediately jumped off of the blonde's lap after she stopped petting him and stared up at her instead. The blue feline had actually shrunk back guiltily as she waved a scolding finger at him.

"No more sleeping," He heard her saying, "I have to go grocery shopping again and I'm not leaving anyone in my apartment. I honestly need to somehow divert your random love for sleeping on my bed, I can't have you returning every night just to sleep."

"Shopping?" Natsu questioned, confused, "Didn't you just go shopping yesterday?"

Lucy turned her frustrated chocolate eyes on him and he grinned innocently in response, "Do you not even see or understand just how much you eat?"

"Nope."

"I can see that," She rolled her eyes, when she heard his completely honest answer, "There's barely any food in there to last me the next few days."

Okay, so he saw how much she had to cook for him, but he also noticed that she hadn't cooked any of the fish. The blonde had given them to Happy raw, just the way he liked them, and she had a lot. She could just share with Happy, couldn't she? However, when he shared his thoughts, she gave him a look that made him feel like a complete idiot for just suggesting it. He couldn't understand why, though. It was a completely viable idea.

"I'd agree with you, if Happy was my cat," The blonde paused to cut the thread with her teeth before finishing with whatever she was doing to his shirt, "But he isn't, he's your cat. I have no need for so much fish on my own, so I decided that I'd give it all to you before you guys leave today."

When she finished her explanation, he blankly stared at her and wondered why that didn't settle well with him. Natsu had completely stopped eating by this point, giving the blonde his rapt attention. Of course, even he knew that he wasn't allowed to stay in the blonde's courtesy forever. But the way that she said it just didn't sound right. It sounded as if she was never going to see them again or planning to never see them again. That couldn't be true though, they were friends after all... right?

He hadn't known when he placed down his eating utensils or when Lucy had cheered happily and turned to say something, holding out his shirt for him. Natsu hadn't even noticed when his face twisted into something that looked akin to being in pain or when he curled his hands into fists. He did notice when a small, cold hand brushed his bangs away to settle on his forehead. And he definitely noticed the concerned brown eyes that stared into his as she quickly cleaned a space on the table to sit in front of him.

Jerking away in surprise, his eyes widened, "What are you doing?"

"Well you looked like you were in pain," Lucy replied, dropping her hand, "And you weren't responding to anything I was saying. I thought you got an infection or something so I was checking your temperature." She gave him a curious stare, "You have an unusually warm temperature yet you don't look sick at all. Is that normal?"

"Yeah," Natsu muttered, scratching the back of his neck. His eyes wandering uncomfortably, "My pops freaked out about the same thing when he found me."

"What?" Lucy asked, a frown pulling at her lips, "Found you?"

"Yeah," The salmon-haired man shrugged, his eyes still adverted, "I'm adopted." When Lucy sucked in a sharp breath, Natsu's eyes snapped up to she her face twist in slight panic and shock. He gave her a questioning look, "What's that face for? You're being weird again, Luce."

"You just nonchalantly admitted, to a complete stranger might I add, that you are adopted and you have the _audacity_ to call me weird?!" The blonde exclaimed, exasperated. She threw her arms in the air, "I give up! I don't even- I don't understand you at all."

"You keep on going back to this 'stranger' business," Natsu rolled his eyes, "We're not strangers anymore, Luce. I know enough stuff about you to even consider us best friends!"

"Oh yeah?" Lucy challenged, "Like what?"

"Well for one, you're a weirdo," Natsu grinned widely, ducking just in time to avoid her hit, "You're also violent and clumsy and loud."

"Those aren't good things, Natsu!"

"I never said they were going to be good things- Ouch! See!" He pointed at her, catching her wrist as she went to swipe at him again, "You're violent!" When he noticed her pouting sulkily, he laughed. "One of the things that I learned about being friends with someone is that we know each other in and out. We know each other's weaknesses and strengths. We know the good and the bad, I'm just listing the bad stuff and if you'd just let me finish I'll get to the good parts!"

The blonde gave him a withering glare before snobbishly turning her head away. In return, he let loose a laugh that made his heart race. It was the kind of laugh that a child would feel while playing with their favorite toy. Not that he considered the blonde a toy, she's human.

Only weirdos would think other people were toys.

"Though I don't see how being a weirdo is a bad thing," Natsu muttered.

"Okay, I honestly give up this time," Lucy pouted, wiggling her wrist free from the salmon-haired man's grasp and standing, "Forget I asked. I refuse to hear any more." She picked up something next to the sleeping Happy before tossing it in his face and disappearing into the kitchen, "There's your shirt, Idiot."

Natsu pulled the shirt off of his face and stared down at it in wonder. Despite the dried blood that hardened the fabric, it was as if the thing was as good as new. Of course, at first glance no one would know that it had been torn in the first place. However, when he lightly brushed his fingers over where the tear should have been, he could feel the delicate stitch-work that the blonde had done. To the touch, it was foreign but the more he looked, the less he could see it.

Guess that's another thing he should add to the long list of things he knows about her; Lucy knows magic.

He slipped the fabric over his head with a large grin, glad to have his shirt back even if he didn't really notice it's disappearance. Happy lazily lifted his head to stare at the man, slowly blinking. He then hopped off of the chair he was sharing with Lucy and made his way over to him. Natsu stroked his hand down Happy's spine, in a similar way Lucy had done earlier, making the blue feline purr loudly.

"I never noticed it before, but you and Happy have no care for subtlety, do you?"

Natsu momentarily stopped petting Happy to give the blonde a dry look, "Because Happy's blue and my hair is pink, right?"

"I'd say it would have tilted more on the salmon side," Lucy observed. Happy's head shot up at the mention of salmon, immediately thinking he was going to get fish. Lucy ignored Natsu's look of pure bewilderment as she laughed at the cat, "I didn't mean the fish, Happy. I meant the color."

"Salmon?" Natsu muttered, testing the word on his tongue, "That sounds like more of a man color instead of pink." He immediately face-palmed after finishing that sentence, "Great. Not only am I like Grey now, I'm starting to sound like Elfman. Next thing you know, I'll turn out to be like Loke..."

"Hey, Natsu?" Lucy called, pulling the salmon-haired man's attention and ignoring the fact that she never knew (or heard of) any of those people. She absentmindedly picked at the hem of her shirt, "Do you know of any ports in Fiore that route directly to Bosco?"

"To Bosco?" Natsu questioned, confused, "Yeah, the port in Hargeon ships directly to Bosco because of the currents. Why?"

She ignored his question, "And you said that you beat up three of my attackers last night, right?"

"...yeah."

Just thinking of those Traffickers made Natsu's blood boil. He'd known of Laxus's team slowly trailing them for the past year and a half and as badly as he wanted to find them and beat the crap out of them, he couldn't. It was an S-class mission after all. Even if he managed to snatch up the mission before them, he'd never get to pursue it. The fact that they took all of those girls and even dared to lay a finger on someone like Lucy... let's just say they pissed off the wrong man. He hadn't known why he felt so protective of this woman whom he'd just met barely a day ago, but he did and he didn't question it.

"Well..." The blonde trailed, once again catching his attention, "Let's just say... Uh, I don't know... that there were actually _four_ men that attacked me?"

"What?!" Natsu roared, standing up quickly. His eyes burned angrily, making the blonde shrink back just in case he somehow spontaneously combusted, "You mean I didn't get to beat the crap out of all of them?"

"Is that all you care about?" Lucy exclaimed, forgetting her earlier fear and walking up to him with a frown, "That you didn't get to fight all of them?"

"No," Natsu growled, slowly calming down under the blonde's stern gaze, "But that bastard needs to pay for escaping." He pursed his lips, staring down into her eyes for a moment, "Why are you asking about Bosco? Is that where they're transferring the girls they kidnapped?"

Lucy's eyes widened, surprised that he caught on so quickly, "They didn't say it exactly, but you remember the group's leader last night?"

"Unfortunately."

"Before he said some... stuff," Lucy shuddered, "He said something about how much this Bora character would like me. They were going to send me to him before they set off to Bosco but then you dropped in."

Natsu's eyes seemed to darken further and this time, Lucy stepped back in fear. Like last night however, it wasn't fear for her own life, it was fear for _them_. Lucy noticed Natsu clenching his fists so hard that his knuckles turned white. He quickly turned on his heel and walked towards the window, ignoring the blonde as she questioned where he was going. Happy jumped into the blonde's arms and watched his partner questioningly. She didn't really know how or what set off this guy's death switch, but whatever it was, they did it with vigor.

Just as she was going to say something, Nastu pulled the widow up. Curious, she started to make her way over to him until she let out a terrified screech, her eyes widening in horror. This man, Natsu Whatever-his-last-name-was, just jumped out of the window! She lived on the second _freakin_' level and he jumped out! Justified, the man caught the tree and safely started to climb down but just leaving through the window was stupid! This was her speaking from experience._  
><em>

"Use the door, Idiot!" She yelled out the window once she got over her shock, glaring at the back that was currently retreating down the street.

She watched as he took the corner that Mira and Levy had taken a few hours ago, before finally disappearing out of her line of vision. Happy mewled at her as he squirmed in her arms. Figuring that he wanted to follow the man, she tried to put him down only to find himself clinging onto her shirt and yowling loudly at her. She was confused at first but then realization dawned on her. The cat wanted to follow him but it looked like he wasn't going to leave without her.

"Okay, Happy. I get it. Fine," Lucy muttered a little skeptically as she pulled on her boots and grabbed her keys, "But I'm not climbing out the window this time, cat."

The cat surprisingly relented, retracting his claws when Lucy wrapped an arm around him. She hooked her keys onto her belt-hoop and started for the door. However, before she could fully leave, a flash of white caught her eye and she peered closer at it. Tucked between the bed and the wall was Natsu's scarf. She didn't know how she knew, but the scarf was important to the man. So without a second thought, she bounded over to the bed, snatched the scarf in her hands and raced towards the entrance of her apartment.

She quickly made her way out the door and locked it securely behind her. Happy mewled before jumping out her of arms and bounding down the hallway, swinging his tail at her to follow him. Lucy rolled her eyes but quickened her pace. Once the blue feline was satisfied with her pace (which was a sprint, conveniently), he dashed down the street that Natsu had taken not even five minutes ago.

Lucy was having a surprisingly easy time keeping up with the cat, even though she wasn't one for running, walking... or exercising for that matter. Instead of turning left for the market place (like they had last time she chased after Happy), they turned right, following the canal for a quarter mile. Once they broke off of the waterway, they entered a large open area with a tall, beautiful cathedral standing proudly in the middle. She hadn't traveled this part of Magnolia, seeing as she only moved there a week ago, so everything was new. However, at the speed Happy wanted them to travel, she wasn't able to truly admire it before they were off again.

"Geez, Happy," Lucy hissed at the cat she was following, "Are you sure he went this way? Because it seems like we were running for hours and- Oh my sweet Celestial spirits."

The blonde skidded to a stop, her eyes widening at the large building that stood in front of her. It was beautiful in only a way that a building could be. Tall and magnificent would be a few words to describe this building. To be honest, it kind of looked like a workshop. She would have believed it was one too, but she heard loud cheers and yelling coming from inside of the building. Despite thinking it as either a club or a bar, the atmosphere was extremely comfortable and (dare she say) inviting. Well, whatever it was, there was a set of banners hanging from the highest roof. The middle (and largest) banner had a familiar insignia on it.

It looked like a fairy with a tail, causing the long standing question to run through her mind; '_Do fairies have tails_?' She heard that question hundreds of times before, she didn't know from where though. It could have been from the countless stories she had read when she was a child, or it could have just been a passing question during her travels.

"Do fairies have tails?" Lucy muttered to herself quietly, trying to find where that fit. Happy rubbed himself against her legs, trying to urge her forward but for some reason she couldn't. "Is this place what Levy talked about?" The blonde wondered out loud, awe coating her words. She peered down at the blue feline that questioningly stared right back up at her, "Is this Fairy Tail?"

"It most definitely is," a elderly voice sounded from behind her.

Quickly turning around, Lucy's eyes dropped onto a man who was barely taller than her knee. The elderly man had a bottle of rye or whiskey in his hands as he kindly grinned up at the blonde. Wisps of white hair (to which Lucy so delicately calls them 'Wings') peeked out from under his striped hat. A white mustache adorned his face as the laughing lines by his eyes wrinkled, complementing his happy grin. Even though Lucy hadn't met this man before, she smiled back just as kindly.

"Can you hear them?" He asked, "The fairies that occupy this guild?"

Lucy silenced herself and listened to the loud noises from inside, they sounded happy and free, "I do."

"I'm glad you hadn't called me a crazy old coot for asking that," The elderly man laughed, linking his hands behind his back. Lucy smiled. "The people who dwell in this guild may be rambunctious and eccentric at first, but they are a family to each other. Here in the working guild of 'Fairy Tail' anything is possible if you set your mind and your heart to it. I heard you mention Levy McGarden's name earlier, do you know her?"

"Aye, sir," Lucy nodded, "She one of the first people that approached me when I first moved into Fairy Hills. I consider us close friends and I'm hoping she does the same."

"I'm sure she does, my child," The old man smiled.

"She had been telling me of Fairy Tail since I moved," Lucy informed, looking at the building with wonder. "Of course I listened with half a heart. I wasn't planning on staying here long, so joining a working guild like this one would have been a waste."

The man raised an eyebrow at her, "Why would joining a guild like this be a waste? You can create bonds and friendships that not many people will find in a lifetime."

"That's exactly the reason why," Lucy muttered sadly, "I am not- how do I put this? I have never made friends so easily. Usually it's the other person who would try but growing up alone made it hard for me to trust, much less build unforgettable bonds. If I joined and then left like how I planned do in a year, I would have warmed up enough to start trusting. Since things in my past keep me from staying in one place for too long, I'd be forced to leave my bonds and friends behind. It's not a waste, per se, but I don't want people to end up hurt or neglected because of my personal affairs."

"Distance binds no hearts," The man smiled comfortingly up at her. "As an outsider, I understand your reluctance." He stepped forward thoughtfully, "_But_ as a man who speaks from experience, giving up eternal bonds for merely a year's worth of struggle is not worth the regret you will get later. I am not pushing you to do something that you do not want to do, I am merely giving you advice. However, I have just one question."

"Please," Lucy offered with a polite wave of her hand, "You patiently listened to me."

"I can say that your concern for others is admirable," The man started off, "To worry about others because of yourself is respectable. I mean no offense when I ask this, but who are you to decide if they will feel hurt or neglected?" Unable to answer, Lucy settled on pursing her lips. Noticing this or not, the man continued on, "Of course if you have created unbreakable bonds, they would feel sad if you left. But because of those unbreakable bonds, your hearts will never be too far."

"Being alone can feel lonely," He muttered, "So that is why we have family. Whether it be through blood or through love. To truly understand the weight of your burdens, you must learn how to share them. Here, we do just that because that's exactly why we're there; to shoulder the weight of our worlds together. We share our pain and our sadness, we love each other equally and help as much as we can. You look like a person who would do anything to help those who need it but who is helping you?"

Lucy frowned, "Sometimes we have to shoulder our own."

"Yes, that's true," The man smiled and reached up to gently pat her hand before leaning down to pet Happy's head, "But there will always be those people who will barge in and demand some of your burdens anyway. How would you know the feeling of peace if you're too busy carrying the weight of the world onto your shoulders?"

The blonde opened her mouth to say something, anything, but there were bouts of yelling that quickly interrupted her. Both her and the old man's attention immediately turned to the door that burst open in front of them. Soon, a familiar salmon-haired man back out of the doors. She couldn't really see into the hall, but she did see a couple of heads staring at him as more yells escaped his mouth, followed by a few colorful words. Happy wrapped himself mischievously around her legs but she hadn't noticed.

"You can't do that!"

Lucy heard a loud voice boom from inside the hall. She didn't know who said it but whoever did, they sounded angry. Angry and feminine. No matter if it's rain or shine, that was never a good combo.

"You won't stop me!" Natsu yelled right back, ignoring the warning in the other person's tone. "It's not my mission, I know but I have some personal beef with these guys and I'm going to do something about it!"

The blonde watched as the doors slammed shut behind him and his pursuer while he ran straight for her. Lucy should have thought about moving to the side just in case he didn't notice her, but he was practically staring! And if she was completely honest with herself, she did try to move but a pesky blue feline had immobilized her legs. So when he finally did notice her standing there, he did so a moment too late.

And that's when he rammed straight into her while a certain Fairy Tail member watched in surprise.


	7. Chapter Special 6 point 5

****A/N: I know it's kind of late but to those who celebrate it; Merry Freakin' Christmas! Happy Holidays to some and Welcome Back to others! I'm both delighted and a little upset to say that this isn't a official chapter but I'm updating this as a present to you all! Unfortunately, it's just a side chapter (Omake if you must), but, since I'm easily susceptible to Writer's Block, you'll probably see these kind of chapters often. The length of each one will change according to my mood though, haha!****

****Although it would be amazing for this to be a Christmas Special kind of chapter, I don't think this story is developed enough to do so. Maybe next time ;)****

****To Guest: I don't know if you already figured this out, but he wasn't serious. It was just my way of poking back to the original story. In this AU, there's no magic whatsoever. So sorry if I confused you :)****

****Anyway. Enjoy and as always, see you in the next one! -808Lionfire****

****Disclaimer: Fairy Tail (c) Hiro Mashima****

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><p><strong>Overview:<strong> This takes place the day of, or the day before, the actual story. As usual, it will be Third Person POV but mostly centered on our favorite Dragon Slayer (Of course he's a firefighter in this AU). I'm sure you all will understand where I'm going with this plot once you start reading it so Happy Reading!

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><p>Chapter Special 6.5 -<p>

Loud, rambunctious laughter echoed throughout Fairy Tail's hall, erasing any silence that could have settled. Surprisingly, none of that laughter came from the usually loud salmon-haired firefighter. Although his silence is extremely rare, none of the other members seemed to notice this. With a blue feline perched on the wooden railing behind him, Natsu crossed his arms as he scanned the billboard lined and covered with posters asking for help. One particular job caught his eye but he had no use for that much money, nor did he even meet the requirements. What was even more intriguing was that the job was so simple, yet, the pay was extremely high.

His lips dropped into a frown and out of habit, he tugged at the scarf around his neck. The salmon-haired man took a few steps back, his eyes still trained on the poster.

"Ne, Happy?" He spoke absentmindedly, reaching out to run his hand down the blue feline's back, "Where do you think we could find a blonde?" Happy trained his dark eyes onto him and with a low meow, he shook his head. "Do you think Laxus would help us if we asked him?" The cat let out a snort that sounded similar to a disbelieving laugh and in return, Natsu sighed. "You're right. He'd probably kill me."

"Find anything interesting, Natsu?" A familiar voice spoke up.

Turning to his left, he was greeted with a dark-haired man. With a medium build and dark skin, his name is Nab Lasaro. Not that Natsu would admit it, but the man's towering figure intimidated him at times. In all honestly, Nab definitely would have been a force to be reckoned with if only he wasn't so lazy. Nab would disagree. Actually, in this situation Nab would probably say-

"Still looking for a perfect job, Nab?" Another voice spoke up, making both men freeze in their tracks.

Natsu felt a drop of sweat roll down his neck and into the fabric of his scarf as he slowly turned around to meet the gaze of the speaker. Nab, despite his ridiculously imposing figure, paled as his face contorted into complete horror. Happy's dark eyes skipped between the two men and the newcomer, repeating the action a couple of times before his own eyes widened in fear. The blue feline immediately shrunk back to hide behind his human partner, finally recognizing the figure. Natsu winced at the audible gulp that Nab took, feeling as if the other man's nervousness was mixing with his own. Their fear and intimidation is completely justifiable. The red-headed woman, unlike Nab, is _indeed_ a force to be reckoned with.

Erza Scarlet. She is currently the strongest and the most feared woman in the force. Actually, the strongest and most feared woman probably in all of Magnolia, if not, in all of Fiore. The red-head was probably strong enough to be the chief of the force if it wasn't for Master Makarov who was currently the overwatch of most of the companies that was currently running in Magnolia.

"Ah," Nab managed to croak out, his eyes turning away from the red-head, "Y-yeah..."

"Well make sure to look thoroughly," Erza supplied, "You have gone far too long without doing a job. I'm sure there's a job up there that would definitely fit your criteria."

"O-okay..."

With a satisfied nod, Erza turned her head slightly and started to talk to another member. The other two males weren't paying much attention to their conversation but Natsu was sure he definitely heard the words '_new_', '_deliver_', '_homemade_' and '_cookies_'. Usually anything about food would keep the salmon-haired man into the conversation but something else was plaguing his mind at the moment.

What Erza said earlier peaked Natsu's interest. He felt a little guilty admitting it, but throughout the years that he worked at Fairy Tail, he never really knew what Nab did for a living. The man could be completely broke but still refuse to do any kind of job unless it matches him perfectly. To be honest, Natsu wasn't sure he had ever seen Nab anywhere else except in front of the billboard. So that led to the question; What exactly does Nab do that allows him to reject the vast variety of jobs that are posted? Surely there would be at least one job in the week rotation that would fit him nicely. They ranged from A-class escort missions to D-class babysitting.

The salmon-haired man frowned at the taller male, "What _is_ your criteria?"

Nab's head snapped towards the firefighter, his eyes shining excitedly. Natsu stepped back in surprise, his eyes widening at the sudden act of happiness that radiated from this usually bored, tired looking man. The salmon-haired man came to a conclusion that Nab loved what he did, but that led to more questions that quickly led to a headache. Never before had the firefighter did this much thinking and in result, his head felt as if was going to explode. He was more of a 'take it on the nose' kind of guy after all.

Nab opened his mouth, "Well-"

"Natsu," Erza's commanding tone easily cut off the taller male and sent shivers down Natsu's spine. Slowly, he turned around and gave the red-head an unconvincing smile.

"A-aye, s-sir?"

"Master told me that you almost demolished a building on your last job," Erza sighed, folding her arms across her chest. The salmon-haired man winced back, unaware of Nab who was currently tip-toeing away from the scene. "Did you at least stay and cover the damages?"

"I p-paid for it," He replied weakly. Erza fixed a hard glare on him, causing him to sweat more than he did earlier and straighten his spine, "They told me they didn't need my help, Sir!"

The red-haired woman exasperatedly pinched the bridge of her nose, "That's understandable."

Natsu felt a shot of indignation at her comment but he didn't dare to voice his opinion. Not only would that be a bad idea, he would probably left Happy with no one to look after him. Talking about the blue feline, where exactly did the he go?

"I hope one day we'll find someone who can control your destruction," The red-head continued despite losing Natsu's attention. She just sighed in response and turned towards the request board to look for a suitable job. However, she had to add one last comment under her breath, "Or at least lessen the blow on the company's finances."

The salmon-haired man dropped into a crouch, his hands gripped around the wooden railing as he moved his head to look between the pillars. He then dropped into a push-up position to take a peek under the tables, hoping to get at least a glance of blue fur. When he saw none he lowered himself to the ground and in one swift motion, pulled his legs under him and pushed himself into a standing position. A deep frown graced his lips as his sharp eyes continued to search the hall for his feline companion.

"I know you love kissing the ground I walk on," A deeper voice chuckled, causing pricks of irritation to shoot down Natsu's spine, "But restrain yourself."

"The only time I'll ever kiss the ground is when you're in it," Natsu shot back, a scowl on his face.

When he twisted around, he came face to face with the man he probably disliked the most. Gray Fullbuster. The dark-haired man stood in front of him with a cocky smirk on his face and his arms crossed against his bare chest. Once again, the man found a way to lose his clothes again. Natsu snorted at that thought, he really didn't expect much out of Gray. He'd actually be more surprised if the man could keep on his clothes for a full day- No. Make that an hour.

"Great comback, Flame-brain," Gray snorted, "Couldn't come up with anything better?"

"Says you, Exhibitionist," The salmon-haired man shot back, "Can't you show up with more than just you boxers."

The dark-haired man's head shot down to his body and he let out a pitiful groan (which may or may not have caused Natsu to cackle evilly), "Aw, crap. Not again."

"Ah, Gray," Erza commented as she turned with a flyer in her hand.

Immediately the paper crumbled under her clenched fist as she took in the dark-haired man's -_ahem_- inappropriate attire. Gray froze from his search and slowly peered over his shoulder. His eyes went from the nearly unrecognizable paper that looked like it wanted to crumble to the red-head's pleasant smile. Although Natsu was clearly laughing inside, he mentally sighed at the pair. It would be Erza who had such a pleasant face but a terrifying grip.

"Ah... hehe," Gray laughed weakly, "I-I can explain."

The pleasant smile never left the red-head's face but her grip slowly loosened, "No. It's fine. Just get dressed. You are indecent."

"Y-yes, sir!"

With that, the dark-haired man briskly walked away in search of his clothes. No matter what Natsu would say later, he definitely _did not_ run. The salmon-haired man was wise enough to stay quiet, letting the woman calm down until he would be able to direct the rest of her anger at the Ice-prick. Within minutes, Gray returned fully clothed. He somehow managed to find his shirt but his pants was pretty close so that wasn't quite hard. Natsu hadn't seen the man take them off, but he was pretty sure that he had seen him fly it somewhere through the air. And before Erza could speak, Gray quickly opened his mouth to divert her attention.

"Are you going on a mission?" The dark-haired man asked, shoving his hands into his pocket.

"Yes, that's right," The red-head replied, loosening the grip on the flyer and doing her best to smooth out the crinkles, "It's on the way to Hargeon apparently. I just have to catch a couple of thieves and turn them in."

"Is that right?" Gray asked, his tone reluctantly polite, "I'm actually going on a job past Shirotsume and that's on the way to Hargeon. I already registered it with Mira."

"I see," Erza nodded, "When are you heading out?"

"In an hour or so," Gray replied, "I'll have to camp out there for a few days, not including the fact that it'll take at least a day to get there."

"And you, Natsu?" The red-head asked, turning to the salmon-haired man, "Are you going to head out on a job soon."

"Ah, well," Natsu managed, "I had my eye on a flyer a little while ago. The job is in Shirotsume town. It's close and the pay is pretty good, I'll probably take that job with Happy and a blonde if I can find one."

"Yeah?" Gray rose an eyebrow at the other man, "And where will you find a blonde so soon? The only blonde I know in this company is Laxus and Gramps if you count him when he was younger."

"I'll manage," The firefighter replied with a sneer, "Unlike you, I'm pretty good at finding things when I need it the most."

The dark-haired man scowled, "That doesn't make any sense, Fire-buff."

"Of course it does, Ice-princess."

"No, it doesn't."

"Yes, it does."

"Boys! Are you fighting?!" Erza boomed, causing the pair to screech and immediately give each other a 'friendly' grip around their neck. The both stammered out 'friendly' comments for each other, their words turning incoherent as their voices blurred into each other. "Fighting is a healthy part of your friendship, but it must not come between you," The red-head smiled before patting Gray on the shoulder, "Since we're heading in the same direction, let's head out together."

"Ah, sure," Gray replied before shrugging.

"Wonderful," Erza smiled, "Let's go."

With a wave from the red-head and one fingered salute from the dark-haired man (and his _generous_ reply), Natsu returned to his long forgotten search for his blue feline friend.

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><p>Natsu groaned, nursing the cool mug to his head. Mira, the white-haired barmaid, looked to him from a few patrons down. With a quick chat to each one, she slowly made her way down to the salmon-haired man. As she got closer to his field of vision, his dark eyes locked onto her with a slightly suspicious gaze. Mira either hadn't noticed his look or chose to ignore it because she continued on her way with a warm smile on her face.<p>

"Good evening, Natsu," The white-haired barmaid greeted cheerfully.

"Evening," He replied obediently, rolling the mug away from his head and then placed it on the countertop.

"So what's wrong with you?" Mira asked, pulling a cup from under the counter and wiping it down with a cloth, "Scolded by Master? Got stuck on a vehicle? Failed a job? Destroyed any more buildings?" Natsu gave her an unimpressed look to which she smiled in reply, "But seriously. What's wrong?"

The firefighter let out a deep sigh as he lifted the mug to his lips. After tipping the cup back for a few seconds, he pursed his lips after swallowing. There were a couple of things wrong since yesterday morning when he was looking at the job flyer. First, the group Raijinshuu came back after another unsuccessful attempt at pursuing the Human Traffickers that was still at large (which kind of pissed him off. he swore he could do a better job but since he wasn't quite at that level yet, he can't even make an attempt). Secondly, he hadn't found a blonde person in the guild to take on the mission (other than Laxus but since he was the leader of Raijinshuu, he already had his hands full). And lastly, Happy hadn't returned home last night. The blue feline had always made his way back home, no matter what. So of course Natsu was thinking the worst.

With a deep sigh, Natsu finally relayed this to the patient Mira and she rightly frowned in sympathy.

"I'm sure he'll return, Natsu," The white-haired barmaid supplied helpfully. That did nothing to ease his worries though. "Happy is smart and he knows his way home. Who knows? Maybe he found someone or something he likes to be around and spent the night."

Natsu tipped the mug to his lips again, surrounding himself in a silent denial. Happy was _his_ best friend after all. If there was anything that the cat liked, he would have brought it to him or brought him to it. He wouldn't have stayed out all night just because of something he took a liking to. Even then, the cat was a little stingy on the things or people he liked to get close to. It took the others a couple of weeks at least for the cat to warm up to them. The fact that Happy found something he liked, in less than a day no less, and keep away from home was nearly impossible.

"I know it seems a little farfetched but it can be possible," Mira encouraged, trying to Watch, in a minute, Happy could be bursting through the doors or an open window and jumping right back to you."

As Natsu was about to open his mouth to argue but a loud clatter of a nearby window shocked him into silence, rendering him absolutely speechless. Slowly, he turned his head in the direction of the sound just in time to see a blue furball sliding down the glass and into the night. Happy, apparently, had jumped into the glass and was currently coiled due to the impact. Natsu tried his best to stop the laugh that wanted to escape his lips but failed. Of course he was shocked that his furry companion had densely jumped into a closed window and he was worried for him but that never took away the hilarity of the situation. Mira stood off to the side, her hand covering her mouth and her eyes widened in shock.

"Or maybe not," Mira sighed, slowly recovering, "Close enough."

With one last laugh, Natsu shook his head and stood up. He quickly made his way over to the window and opened it slowly. He expected the cat to quickly jump into the hall to escape the night time chill, however, he waited and waited but Happy hadn't entered. The salmon-haired man frowned before leaning over the windowsill to see the cat patiently sitting on the damp grass, his dark eyes staring up intently at him. All of a sudden, Happy started yowling loudly, causing Natsu to step back in shock. Confused, he stared as the blue feline starting to yowl louder but this time, he stood on all fours and hopped around impatiently. Every once in a while, the cat spun in the air. Finally fed up with his human companion's insane density, Happy hopped once more before turning tail and fleeing down the darkened streets.

Still confused, the salmon-haired man quickly backed away from the window and ran towards the doors. In effort to make sure he hadn't lost his furry companion once more, Natsu willed every inch of his legs to dash through the wooden doors, nearly ripping the poor wooden planks off of their hinges. Although not intentionally, Natsu ignored the worried calls that Mira cried after him. Before he completely disappeared, he told Mira to send someone after him and then dashed out onto the streets. He quickly headed towards the direction that he saw Happy heading and was pleasantly surprised to see that the blue feline was waiting for him under a street lamp. Quickly, he headed after the cat but once he got close, Happy once again dashed off to Mavis knows where. It wasn't anywhere nice, if that's what his uncomfortable clench in his gut had anything to say about it.

They passed the Cathedral in their dash, not pausing to look at the way the lights lit up like they always used to do. That made his stomach even more uneasily. The cat hadn't even slowed down to glance at the immaculate building, that wasn't normal. Natsu noticed that they were headed towards the Market but when Happy made a quick left turn right before the last stretch of street to the marketplace, his instincts was confirmed. As he rounded the corner. even in the darkness, he could easily pick out four figures at least three meters ahead of him. However the sight made his blood boil and on some random spur or adrenaline, he easily overtook Happy's speed and closed the distance between them.

Once he was close enough, he spotted two burly men restraining the arms of what looked to be the silhouette of a woman. His eyebrows furrowed down harshly, as his eyes locked onto the man who was reaching forward and gripped the woman's face in his hand. Filling himself up with all the pent up stress and energy from the last few days, he could practically feel his fist combust. He gave the woman a silent cheer when he saw her spit directly into his face but that feeling of pride immediately washed away when he man pulled his hand back and curled it into a fist. Natsu's heartbeat quickened in panic, sending him into even more inhumane speed. He was by her side in an instant, surprising even himself. Pulling his arm back, he took advantage of his current speed and his weight, throwing everything he had in that punch.

He felt a satisfying crack to moment his fist made contact with the man's cheek. However, the moment the man crashed into the pastry shop's wall, he flinched. He could already hear Gramp Markarov's irate voice ring in his ears, berating him for every little jewel that they had to spend in repairs. As he shook his hand out, he heard the woman's muffled scream before the sound of her head making contact with the concrete. His head snapped towards the sound, surprised to see the men stumbling around and mumbling out curses while Happy somehow glued himself to the woman's face. His heart thudded in concern as he quickly dropped by her side and gently pulled the blue feline off of the unconscious woman's face.

In a quick examination, he noted that the impact caused her to knock out but until she woke up to prove him wrong, there wasn't any serious brain trauma.

"Happy," Natsu sternly scolded under his breath.

The salmon-haired man slid one of his arms into the crook of the woman's knees and the other under her shoulder before carefully lifting her into his arms. Surprisingly, she was lighter than he expected. Not that he meant anything bad by that! The dim lighting especially made it harder to tell. Dear Mavis's soul, he hoped she never found out that he thought that. Considering Mira or Erza's reaction to weight comments, she would probably kill him as well.

As he led them deeper into the alley where he was sure she wouldn't get caught up in the fight, he felt the woman shiver in his arms. Unconsciously, she nuzzled her face into the side of his scarf in an attempt to get warmer. A small grin tugged at his lips but quickly shook it away when he heard the biggest man start to stir once again. Natsu quickly, but gently, leaned the woman against the alley wall. As he pulled away, the woman let out a quiet whimper and he froze with a curse escaping his lips.

In quick, desperate, decision making, he quickly pulled the scarf off of his shoulders and wrapped it comfortably around the woman's shoulders. His heart yearned to take it back but the unconscious woman needed it more that he did at the moment. The cloud of white air that billowed out of his mouth confirmed it. Happy's complaining meow sounded from his left, causing him to look at the blue feline that was crouched on the wooden crate beside the woman. His tail lashed back and forth, almost like he was concerned for the woman. Natsu stared at the feline for a quick second before he shook his head and patted the cat's head.

"Keep an eye on her Happy," Natsu ordered, getting noting but a simple flick of the ear in reply.

The salmon-haired man stood up and cracked his knuckles, staring at the three shadows at the end of the alley. A rush of adrenaline pumped in his veins again as he looked forward to beating up this woman's attackers. Any man who would come up to a woman with an intention to harm her deserves much more than just a beating. A dark smile pulled at his lips as he slowly walked towards them. He's going to make sure that they would enjoy a long sentence in the slammer. Now with renewed determination, he clenched his hands into fists and crossed his arms across his chest.

"Alright. Let's do this."


	8. Chapter 7

****A/N: Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry for not being consistent with my stories. Thank you, thank you, thank you all for being so patient with me. I know what it feels like to wait and trust me, it's not the best feeling in the world. For those who worry if I'll ever finish this story... I can't promise anything. BUT I can promise that if there ever comes a time where I absolutely cannot finish a story, I'll create a chapter dedicated solely to explaining what was _supposed_ to happen and how I came up with the idea in the first place.****

**However, as of right now, I plan to write, progress and complete. And to seal off that deal, I'll give you a quote that I randomly thought up on the spot... have fun with that ;)**

****But anyway, enjoy this extremely cliche chapter and as always, see you in the next one! -808Lionfire****

****Disclaimer: Fairy Tail (c) Hiro Mashima****

* * *

><p>"Whether good or bad, the words that a stranger speaks can touch your heart faster<br>than the words of the people who know what you need to hear."

-From Me (808Lionfire)

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><p>Chapter 7-<p>

Natsu winced, feeling the wound on his back tighten when he dropped from the tree. After giving his shoulder a few tests, he grinned before giving the open window an appreciative glance. Not really knowing why he liked it and not really caring why he liked it, he came to a conclusion that he just did. Somehow, it just made his day a little bit better and if he didn't have his injuries, it would have probably made his day. So, with a little bit of a lighter heart, Natsu sprinted down the street.

"Use the door, Idiot!"

Her voice was faint but he heard it and he grinned devilishly despite being called an idiot. He turned the corner and was suddenly spurred faster. He didn't bother saying sorry or making an excuse when he bumped into people, they knew _exactly_ who he was once they got a single glance at his hair. On calm days, he'd usually ram people over and knock them down. Accidentally, of course. So when he bumped into them on his way to Mavis knows where, it was actually a pleasant and welcomed change for them.

After making his way past the Cathedral and stopping to hop over a few canals, he finally reached his destination; Fairy Tail HQ. As usual, it was a grand building and his current place of work but he hadn't stopped to admire the structure. Instead, Natsu stormed up to the doors and kicked them open. The loud chatter that he heard from outside instantly flattened the moment his foot touched the doors. Different members of Fairy Tail turned to look, knowing of only one person who still had the guts to enter like that. And that very man had been missing since last night. So the stares of disbelief, surprise and relief that he was given was completely justified.

Natsu's dark eyes looked around the guild either not noticing the mixed stares or just settled on ignoring them. A couple of people opened their mouths to greet the salmon-haired man but their words caught in their throat once they saw the serious expression on his face. There was also a ting of fury accompanying it, causing the rest of the guild to continue their silence. They pitied the poor soul that put him in that state.

"Welcome back, Natsu," Mira smiled, ignoring his expression and welcoming him home.

Natsu merely gave a quick nod to the white-haired woman before looking around again, "Is Gramps in?"

"He actually stepped out recently," Mira replied, turning a curious eye, "Did you need something from him?"

"I need to speak to him," He grinned, but this wasn't one of his childish grins. It was a dark grin that sent shivers down half of the members' spines. "It's important."

"I don't know when he's going to come back," Mira replied, a calm smile still on her face. Natsu let out a disappointed (and relieved) sigh. "Would you like me to relay it to him?"

"Naw," The salmon-haired refused lazily, linking his hands behind his head, "Just tell him I'll be out for about a few days and that I won't be at the station until then."

"Where are you heading?" Mira inquired curiously, tilting her head a bit.

"Nowhere in particular," Natsu shrugged nonchalantly, "I might swing down to Hargeon, see how the affairs are down there."

"You just went there on a job last month," Her polite finally dropped as she gave him a suspicious stare. A thought popped in her mind, "Don't tell me you're going to look for your father there. Natsu, do you honestly believe that your father would willingly go to such a crowded place?"

"Tch, no. I'm not that dumb," The salmon haired man pouted, diverting his eyes, "Of course I'm not looking for my dad there... that was last month." Everyone who was close enough to hear the last part immediately sweat-dropped while Mira let out an exasperated sigh. "It doesn't matter though!" Natsu exclaimed quickly, "I'm not going there for that."

Mira raised an eyebrow in skeptism, making the salmon-haired man sweat, "Why are you going there then?"

"P-personal reasons," Natsu stuttered, giving her a shaky smile.

"Natsu, tell me the truth."

"I-I can't s-say," He pursed his lips, taking a hesitant step back, "I didn't t-tell her the p-plan yet."

"You're testing my patience- wait," Mira's glare instantly dissolved, "Did you say '_her_'?"

"D-did I?" Natsu laughed, the guild sweat-dropped at how fake it sounded. The salmon-haired man scratched the back of his neck nervously, "I-I meant to say that I didn't tell H-Happy the plan... y-yet?"

"_Natsu_."

"O-okay!" Natsu shrunk back, inching towards the door. He took a deep breath, "I don't know all of the details yet but a mutual friend of ours figured out where the Human Traffickers were because of a slip up from one of the lackeys last night during the attack. Somehow, one of them escaped before I was able to beat him up for attacking Luc- I-I mean our mutual friend in the first place."

"So let me get this straight," Mira frowned, still glaring at the man in front of her, "You want to go on a wild goose chase after the Human Traffickers because of something our '_mutual friend_' heard?" Natsu hesitated before nodding slowly. "And this '_mutual friend_' of ours is going with you."

"Well," He trailed off, still inching towards the doors, "She doesn't actually know yet but yeah, that's the plan."

"And this '_mutual friend_' is not apart of Fairy Tail, is she?"

"No," Nastu muttered. At Mira's glare, he waved his hands, "A-at least not y-yet."

"So you're telling me that you not only are going after another team's job," Mira stated calmly, a dark aura surrounding her. Natsu desperately held back his scream, wanting to at least keep some of his dignity. "You are also going to hijack an S-class mission and take a non-member with you? All because you didn't beat up one of the men last night?!"

"Geez," Natsu mumbled under his breath, "You're starting to sound like Luce."

"NATSU!"

With that, Mirajane reminded the salmon-haired man exactly why she was so _endearingly_ nicknamed 'The Demon'. Natsu spun on his heel and run out the doors, still containing the desperate scream from passing his lips. And he was _so_ close too, only being a few feet from the doors, however, Mira had somehow appeared in front of him right before he could even reach out to touch the wood that separated him from a longer life. Luckily, his terrified screech that he held back was quickly drowned out by the cheers and the laughter of the guild. Unfortunately, his calls for back-up were also drowned out by the cheers and the laughter of the guild.

He could have sworn that he saw a familiar brunette off to the side, accepting bets of who would win the latest fight. Much to his chagrin, many had betted against him (He noted to beat them up when he returned) while the rest continued to just cheer and raise their mugs.

He wasn't sure how long he was getting chased for. It could have been mere minutes but it felt like hours. He had to continuously dodge the things that Mira threw his way until he finally got an opening. The white-haired barmaid called to her brother, Elfman Strauss (who was a terrifying, brute of a man), to block his way. Natsu, unfazed, just grinned at the man and picked up his speed. When he was close enough, he ducked under the two large arms that tried to catch him and caught the white-haired man's leg with his foot.

The momentum and the speed that he was running, caused the brutish man to stumble behind him and unfortunately crush his dear older sister under him. Natsu felt bad momentarily (because he definitely knew how it felt to be crushed by Elfman) but took the opportunity to run to the doors. Mira quickly recovered and consoled her brother's insistent apologies before taking after the salmon-haired man again. However, by this time, he had slammed the doors open and was currently running out, cursing to see that she was still gaining on him.

"You can't do that!" She yelled running out after him.

"You can't stop me," Natsu yelled back, knowing he was going to get it for ignoring her warning tone, "It's not my mission, I know but I have some personal beef with these guys and I'm going to do something about it!"

The HQ's doors slammed behind Mira just as she noticed a familiar blonde woman and the fact that Natsu was about to run the poor woman over. The blonde's eyes had widened at the salmon-haired man before he collided into her. Natsu reacted quickly and easily caught Lucy around the waist, stopping her about a two feet before she it the ground. She let out a little squeal, covering her face with her hands. Despite knowing that he caught her in time, she was still too scared to look. And if that wasn't embarrassing enough, she was sure she caught a glimpse of Mirajane's white hair.

"Geez, Luce," She heard the salmon-haired man mutter, pulling her back up into a standing position. Once she was steadily on her feet, Lucy slowly opened her eyes. "Why are you just standing in the way, Weirdo?"

"Why weren't you looking?" The blonde hissed back, putting in all her strength to push him.

Which was an incredibly bad idea because his arms were still wrapped around her waist and Happy was still tangled around her -now their- feet. With a yelp of surprise, Natsu pulled Lucy down with him as he stumbled over his furry companion. However, he quickly twisted them mid-air so he would take most of the street's blow and hoped that a bruised nose be the worst the blonde received. After a quick and subtle inspection, he was assured that she was fine. Angry, maybe but not hurt. For him though, the air completely knocked out of lungs and yet he still had enough to groan in pain. Lucy let out a concerned noise as she quickly untangled herself from Natsu's grip and fretted over his injuries.

"Oh gosh! I'm so sorry!" She apologized, frantically checking if the fall had opened up his wounds. It didn't, thankfully. With an annoyed slap to the salmon man's arm, Lucy looked around with a frown on her face. The blonde was just about to apologize to the old man about the sudden interruption but he was gone. Disappeared. Like a ghost.

"Lucy?" Mira's voice asked in complete confusion, drawing the namesake from her confusion. Lucy scrambled to her feet and looked up to see the white-haired barmaid staring at her with wide eyes, "What are you doing here?"

"To chase this idiot," The blonde replied without thinking, shooting a stern look at the salmon-haired man. Natsu rolled his eyes but hadn't commented as he took the hand that Lucy held out to help him up, "And to return his scarf. As you can see, he already got his shirt back."

Natsu eagerly took the scarf she was holding out to him, quickly returning it back to it's rightful place, "Thanks, Luce! You're a lifesaver!"

"Yeah, don't mention it," She waved off his gratitude and sternly placed her hands on her hips, shooting the man another glare, "But why were you yelling at Mira? She's the sweetest woman in the world!"

"Sweet?!" Natsu argued indignantly, "Mira is a Demon!"

Mira glared harshly at him and he let out a terrified groan before ducking behind Lucy. He lead her in front of him, using the blonde to take the force of Mira's unforgiving look. He could have swore that he felt Lucy shudder and try to move away but kept his grip firmly on her shoulders. Natsu, in any other situation, probably would have stepped in between the blonde and whatever made her scared but he had a gut feeling that Mira wouldn't willingly hurt Lucy. But she would hurt him, definitely. So instead, he decided to continue hiding behind the blonde just until Mira had calmed down.

Lucy tried to move away again but like the last time, Natsu just gripped her shoulders tighter to keep her in place.

"Don't use me as a meat shield!" The blonde snapped back at him after her third attempt to escape.

This time, when she shook off his hands, he let her go. Unfortunately she was expecting more of a resistance so when he suddenly let go, she stepped forward on instinct. Since Happy was still somehow wrapped around her feet, she fell forward. Whether it was a good thing or a bad one, for the second time today she found herself being caught by the salmon-haired man. Third, if you count taking the previous fall as catching her.

Natsu instinctively wrapped his arm around the blonde's waist and pulled her back against his chest. He, however, overestimated her weight (She'd get back at him for that fat joke) and practically knocked the breath out of her when he slammed her to his chest. Lucy pitifully groaned as she twisted in his hold and slapped the back of his head.

"Ouch!"

"'_Ouch_' is right, you idiot!" Lucy cried breathlessly, twisting out of Natsu's grip. He let her go with a grumble, glaring at her for both the hit and the idiot comment. "Don't try to kill me while trying to save me! And control your cat!"

"It's not my fault you're clumsy today," Natsu grumbled under his breath.

"What was that?!"

"N-nothing! Nothing!" He rambled out quickly, trying to pacify the blonde's rage. He bent quickly and bundled Happy into his arms, "I didn't say a thing!"

"Now I see why even the sweet Mira can look so angry," Lucy muttered irritably, shooting a look at him, "You bring out the bad in everyone."

"I do not!"

Mira, who was probably forgotten between the two, looked at the exchange with a smile on her face. The way they argued and acted so fluidly made them seem as if they knew each other forever. A sudden thought dashed through the white-haired woman's head but she brushed it off. Everyone knew she was a sucker for a good romance and this one seemed no different. She strongly believed in past loves and soul-mates but even with these two -especially with these two- it was way too early to tell. But yet...

The two continued to bicker without even noticing the gleam that started to grow in the white-haired woman's eyes. Between their argument, Natsu had somehow handed Happy to Lucy, much to the blue feline's delight. Happy had also climbed onto her shoulders, wrapping his body around the blonde's neck before going completely limp. Acting like a scarf. Mira giggled at how comfortable the cat could be in the strangest position he could find.

"Lucy?" Mira called out to the blonde, causing her to stop herself in a retort and turn with curious eyes. "Are you going with Natsu?"

"What?" The other woman asked, frowning. Mira glanced at the salmon-haired man who was frantically shaking his head behind the blonde and waving his hands with a slight bit of panic in his face. She ignored him. "Go with him? Where in Earthland would we go?"

Mira lifted a brow, "You're saying that you would?"

"I mean I guess it's a possibility," The blonde shrugged with nonchalance, watching as the barmaid walked over to them. Thinking her answer over, she glanced back at the salmon-haired man (who was whistling innocently) and a raised brow before turning back to Mira, "Then again, I wouldn't actually say I was going _with_ him, just in the same direction. I don't think I trust him enough to travel with."

"Oi!" Natsu protested immediately, "I saved your life."

"Now that's a little dramatic," Lucy pouted, "It's not like they were going to kill me."

"Yeah," He snorted, sarcastically agreeing, "They just wanted to ship you off to Bosco and let you spend the rest of your life as a slave."

"Don't say it like that, Natsu," Mira giggled, winking at the blonde, "Lucy would escape. Eventually."

"True," Lucy agreed with a sly smirk, "I was actually planning to visit a few neighboring countries. Bosco actually sounds like a pretty good place to start." She eyed the salmon-haired man that had taken to frowning and with a grin, slowly petted the blue feline that hung around her neck, "Maybe you saving me just ruined a once in a lifetime opportunity."

Natsu growled, his eyes flashing dangerously, "Like Hell I did."

The two women dissolved into a fit giggles. Mira tried to hide her giggles behind her hand but Lucy snickered openly, possibly even using the source of her amusement as a brace to keep from falling over. Happy shifted around the blonde to regain balance before falling asleep again, unaware that his human companion was being mercilessly teased by the two women. Natsu just folded his arms and pouted at the two, unfazed by Lucy's sudden weight on his shoulder.

Once they calmed, Mira sighed happily, "Ah, that was a good laugh."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," Natsu muttered sourly, chuckling when Lucy lightly elbowed him in the side.

"So going back to before our laugh," The blonde woman smiled, turning to the white-haired barmaid, "What were you talking about? Where am I going with Natsu?"

"Nowhere," The salmon-haired man grumbled before Mira could reply, linking his hands behind his head. When the two women gave him a curious look, he just pouted and turned away, "I'm not sayin' anything. That's payback for laughing at me."

Lucy had somehow caught his gaze when he turned to look back at them, raising her eyebrow and folding her arms across her chest. Mira had the same expression and posture but it wasn't as effective as the blonde's. Natsu tried his best to keep a blank face, he really did, but her stare hadn't let up a single bit. In a matter of seconds, a bead of sweat rolled down his face as he slightly fidgeted in his spot. Then he finally cracked under pressure, unable to keep the both of their gazes.

This all took nothing but a mere ten seconds.

"Hargeon!" Natsu exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air. Both women raised their eyebrows in surprise at his sudden outburst. Even Happy popped up to look up at his human companion. "We're going to Hargeon because you asked where a direct route to Bosco was and I said it was from there. We're going to go there to beat up the man who ran away from the attack last night and save the girls the girls that were kidnapped, like how you wanted. You're going to go because you need to identify the people I have to beat up and I'm going to help you save the girls, okay? Are you happy for forcing information out of me?"

"I just wanted to know where we were going," Lucy giggled, moving a hand to hide her smile, "I didn't need the explanation nor did I force it out of you."

"But you gave me that- that look!"

"All I did was wait for an answer. What look are you talking about?"

"The look of a Demon!"

The moment the comment left his lips, he froze completely. His eyes widened at the calm, serene look on the blonde's face as she clenched her hand into a fist. Shying away, Natsu immediately registered the large 'happy' grin that took over the blonde's face. And although he won't admit it, a small whimper escaped his lips.

"Ooh," Mira giggled, feeling the blonde's aura gradually darkening, "That was the wrong thing to say, Natsu."

"Mira," Lucy muttered, her eyes narrowed as she gently pulled Happy off of her neck and handed the blue feline over. The white-haired barmaid took the cat gently, snickering when she saw Natsu's face drop in fear. A similar expression when he talked back to either her of Erza. "Hold Happy while I teach this idiot a lesson of calling women Demons."

"L-Luce," Natsu stuttered trying to pacify the woman's rage, "I-I was just k-kidding! It was a j-joke!"

"I'm not laughing."

Unable to defend himself, Natsu turned tail and ran. Mira laughed as he was quickly stopped a second later by the blonde who caught him by the tail end of his scarf and tackled him to the ground. Lucy easily flipped him onto his back and straddled his stomach so he couldn't run. She yelled something Mira didn't catch, dropping a barrage of attacks onto the salmon-haired man. Natsu lifted his arms in effort to protect his face from her half-hearted hits and laughed loudly. She may have been furious earlier but the salmon-haired man's carefree grin calmed a _small_ piece of her down.

Not that she'd ever admit it out loud.

"Why are you laughing?" Lucy raged, futilely trying to pry his arms away so she could at least get in _one_ good hit, "Why are you just defending? Can't you at least pretend that it hurts or at least fight back?"

"I thought we already got this figured out," Natsu chuckled, easily fending off her weakening hits, "You can't hurt me, so it's only fair that I return the favo- Ow!" He pulled his arms away and glared at the woman pinning him down, "Did you just pinch me?"

"Punishments aren't limited to punches and slaps," Lucy smirked smugly, sitting back on his stomach and folding her arms across her chest, "Didn't you know that?"

"That's cheap," Natsu grumbled, using his elbows to prop himself up.

"Aw, don't be mad because I managed to hurt you again," The blonde winked playfully before sliding off and standing up, arrogantly brushing the 'dirt' off of her shorts.

Natsu was going to say something but his voice got caught in his throat as he watched the blonde walk over towards a flushed and giddy Demon. As much as that sounds like he was watching Lucy as she walked away, that wasn't entirely it. No, what rendered him to silence was the _evil_ look that Mira had in her eyes. He had seen that look many times before and although none were really directed to him before, he knew very well what they meant. He's not as stupid as everyone takes him to be.

That was the look Mira had given her brother every time the Raijinshuu squad returned to the guild. It was also the look that Mira had discretely given Bisca and Azlack long before they got married a couple of years ago. And it was also the look that she- well, you get it. That look means trouble. That's for sure.

"That would have attracted a lot of attention," Natsu heard Mira giggle as he ran a hand through his disheveled hair, "Thankfully today is the day of discounts in the market. Otherwise someone might have tried to contact the police force."

"That's not possible," Lucy replied with a tired sigh, "Anyone near us would have heard Natsu's laugh and probably ignore us. Like we're a couple of those 'damn teenagers' horsing around."

"I'm no teenager," Natsu grumbled, finally pulling himself to his feet.

"Neither am I," Lucy pointed out lazily, not bothering to back look at him, "But that doesn't mean we acted like adults."

"You're the one that tackled me to the ground," He responded, brushing off his clothes before walking over to the two women. Once he stopped next to them, he gave Lucy a frown, "I could have reopened my wounds."

"You put it on yourself," Lucy shrugged, a sly smirk on her face.

"You did call us Demons after all," Mira giggled, giving the blonde a high-five, "I would have tacked you to the ground too."

The salmon-haired man gave them both a glare, "Remind me never to mess with you two again."

"We do," The pair replied flatly.

Lucy gave his forlorn face a tired sigh, choosing to spare him for now. With a thoughtful hum, she faced Mira with a finger placed on her chin, "So going back to this traveling topic again. I get that Natsu want's to go after them because he didn't beat up a guy-"

"-and to help you," Natsu grumbled.

"-_and_ to help me save the others," Lucy rolled her eyes, "but there must also be some reason why he can't and why you don't want him to go."

"Yes," The white-haired barmaid confirmed. "To keep the explanation short, this particular job asked for a specific group of our Guild to complete it since this case has been open for a while."

"So this is also a job for the Guild which, by the way, I'm not in," The blonde gave Natsu a pointed stare and he returned with a careless shrug. "We could get in a huge amount of trouble for even trying to track these people down especially since they aren't even in your jurisdiction. You are a Firefighter, are you not?"

"I am," The salmon-haired man folded his arms, "But if the situation calls for it, we can place someone under custody until officials arrive."

"As long as you have permission from the head to do so," Mirajane corrected with a wave of her hand, "Then yes, it is possible."

"Okay, but what's going to happen when we finally get there?" Lucy interrogated, "By the way you're talking, it sounds like there's going to be a confrontation. Are these people not criminals who not only kidnapped people successfully but also got away with it for the past year and a half? Wouldn't it tarnish Fairy Tail's reputation if the public found out that the job was hijacked by a rogue member and a innocent citizen?" The blonde's eyes narrowed, "I could get hurt."

"Hm," Mira hummed, "That is a good point."

Natsu snorted, "You say that like I would let her get hurt. We'll just see what happens when we get there."

"Oh yeah?" Lucy rose an eyebrow, "And where exactly is '_there_'?"

"Weren't you listening, Luce? We're going to where you said they were; Hargeon."

"But Hargeon was just a guess."

"They're there."

At the salmon-haired Firefighter's confident grin, Lucy felt her resolve falter even if it was a tiny bit, "And how are you so convinced that they'll be there when even I doubt myself?"

"Do you even have to ask?" Natsu asked as if the answer was obvious, "I trust you."

It was hard to admit, but that tiny (probably thoughtless) confession words did extraordinary things to her heart. She just hoped it didn't show on her face. Oh how long has it been since someone had said those three, simple, easily misunderstood words to her? It made her... happy. Yeah, she guess it really did and maybe, just maybe, it made her happy enough to cry. So when she looked down to see the embodiment of happiness itself contently wrapping himself around her legs as if he trusted her as well, she nearly did.

Now, thinking all of this made her feel a little vulnerable but she gladly accepted it.

However, instead of letting all of that show, she turned to Mira with with wide, chocolate brown eyes and a conflicted whimper, "I'm running out of excuses."

"Completely understandable," The white-haired barmaid replied with her own conflicted look, "That was surprisingly sweet coming from him."

"I don't know how to respond to that," The blonde confessed softly and quickly peeked at the salmon-haired man at the corner of her eye. Her lip twitched, "And that satisfied grin on his face is not making our situation any better."

The blinding grin on Natsu's face definitely was filled with self-satisfaction and maybe a hit of arrogance. However, the stare that Mira pinned on him made lose his smile completely and even him sweat to the point where he had to purse his lips to keep in the girlish scream that he would have made. The only thing that kept him from running for his life was the sympathetic frown that Lucy gave him. Even then, she was struggling to hold back a laugh but at least he knew that someone would mourn his death. Everyone else he knew would probably laugh at the fact that thee 'Salamander' got taken out by a woman while he was laughed at by someone they would consider a complete stranger (although Natsu would have to somehow revive himself to disagree).

Nervously, Natsu adjusted the scarf on his neck as he 'patiently' (more like fearfully) awaited what Mira would say next. The white-haired barmaid seemed to be thinking hard, her face shown inner conflict.

"Fine," Mira sighed finally, closing her eyes in exasperation, "I know you'll go whether I approve of it or not. So, just this one time, I'll look the other way." The salmon-haired man's entire face lit up but before he could open his mouth, Mira stopped him by lifting her hand. "_However_, I do have a couple of conditions."

Natsu gave her a skeptical look before sighing softly, "Fine."

"Condition number one: she," The barmaid paused, pointing at the blonde who was openly snickering at his sullen expression, "Has to agree to everything you suggest before it actually happens."

"Ugh, fair enough."

"I quite like that one, Mira."

"And the second and last condition, but the most important one," Mira trailed off, making both Natsu and Lucy lean forward in anticipation.

The white-barmaid purposely prolonged her pause. Half was because she wasn't expecting for that stubborn Firefighter to agree to _that_ condition so easily and wanted to see how serious he was about it. The other half was because she was going to think up another condition while the couple bickered again. Because after all, when you say conditions, you have to mean _multiple_ conditions. And as an added effect, it makes it sound a bit more professional. Then it hit her. Natsu told her a couple of days ago about a job that required a certain person that he had to bring along and he complained that he couldn't find that person. Well now he has a candidate and she was pretty sure the job was still posted.

Well... this was absolutely perfect! Almost like it was a match made in Heaven! A play by Fate! A lucky break! A- well you get the point.

"Ah, I got it!" Mira exclaimed, dropping her fist into her palm, "You just have to find a cover-up job."


End file.
